THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
TOPOGRAPHY
OF
iHteat Mvitai%
OR,
BRITISH TRAVELLER'S
POCKET DIRECTORY;
BEIN& AN ACCDRATE AND COMPREHENSIVE
TOPOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION
OF
ALL THE COUNTIES
IN
WITH THE
ADJACENT ISLANDS:
ILLUSTRATED WITH
MAPS OF THE COUNTIES,
WHICH FORM
A COMPLETE BRITISH ATLAS.
tT'
BY G. A. COOKE, ESQ.
VOL. XXL
CONTAININ&
YORKSHIRE.
Printed, by Assignment from the Executors of the late C. Cooke,
FOR
SHERWOOD, NEELY, AND JONES, PATERNOSTER-ROWj;
AND SOLD BY ALL UOOKSELLERS.
TOPOGRAPHICAL
AND
STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION
OF THE
COUNTY OF YORK;
Containing an Account of its
Situation,
Mines,
Agriculture,
Extent,
Fisheries,
Curiosities,
Towns,
Manufactures,
Antiquities,
Rivers,
Trade,
Natural History
Lakes,
Commerce,
Civil and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, &c.
To which are prefixed.
The Direct and Principal Cross Roads^ Distaticc ofStaffes,
InnSy and Nohleraen and Gentlemen s Seats:
ALSO,
A LIST OF THE MARKETS AND FAIRS,
And an Index Table,
Exhibiting, at one View, the Distances of all the Towns from
London, and of Towns from each other:
The whole forming
A COMPLETE COUNTY ITINERARY.
BY G. A. COOKE, ESQ.
Illusti^ted with
Maps of the respective Ridings , and Eight Picturesque
Vie-cvs.
Hoiitiau:
Printed, by Assignment from the Executors of the late C. Cooke,
FOR
SHERWOOD , NEELY, AND JONES, PATERNOSTER-KOW,
AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLErvS.
li. M'Millan, Printer.
Bow-Street, Covent-Gavdcn.
A Ti
C3)
^ABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS
IN THE
S2!le3t KiDittg of pork$i}ire;
Their Distance from London, Markets, Houses, and Inhabitants r=^
with the Time of the Arrival and Departure of the Post.
Towns.
Aberford
Barnsley
Bawtry
Bingley
Boroughbridge
Bradford
Dent
Dewsbury
Doncaster
Gisburn
Halifax
Huddersfield . . .
Keighley
Kettlewell
Knaresborough
Leeds ... .,
Otley
Pontefract
Ripon
Rotherham
Sedbergh ..,
Selby
Settle
Sheffield ..
Sherburn ..
Skipton
Snaith
Tadcaster ..
Thome
TickhiU ..
Wakefield .
Wetherby
York
Dist.
186
176
153
206
206
196
266
187
162
224
197
189
209
233
202
193
205
177
212
160
265
183
2:55
162
183
220
175
190
174
157
182
194
199
Markets.
Wed.
Wed.
Wed.
Tuesd.
Sat.
Thurs.
Friday.
Wed.
Sat.
Monday,
Sat.
Tuesd.
Wed.
Thurs.
Wed.
Tu. Sat.
Friday.
Sat.
Thurs.
Monday
Wed.
Monday.
Tuesd.
Tu. Sat.
Friday.
Sat.
Thurs.
Wed.
Wed.
Friday.
Friday.
Thurs.
Tu.Th.S.
Houses,
176
954
178
931
131
548
379
987
1438
100
501
1871
1367
125
888
12,240
530
828
558
683
330
733
267
7672
575
591
156
195
61
273
1871
'2?,9
2661
Inhabi-
tants.
922
5014
918
4782
747
2989
1663
5509
6935
509
£677
9671
6864
361
4234
62,534
2602
3605
3638
2958
1805
3365
1153
35,840
3370
2868
743
913
2713
1508
8593
1140
18,217
Post
amves.
12| m.
4f aft.
7 m.
llf m.
5im.
6 aft.
41 m.
3im.
84 ra.
7 m.
3|m.
9 aft.
7 m.
10 aft.
6 m.
9 m.
9l aft.
2 aft.
6 m.
9 m.
10 aft.
7 m.
2 m.
ll|aft
Hi aft
12 ni.
The rate uf p05tay,e for
single letter, varies trom yd.
out this Riding.
to lid. through
(4)
A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS
JX THE
Botth ann Ca^t lRmn0 of porfeg^ice ;
Their Distance from London, Markets, Houses, and Inhabitants ;
with the Time of the Arrival and Departure of the Post.
Towns.
Dist.
Markets.
HouBes.
Inhabi-
Post
Post
247
tants.
arrives.
departs.
Askrigg
Thurs.
177
745
Bedale
222
183
Tues.
Sat.
228
1324
1132
6027
7 m.
4i m.
5 aft.
Beverley
4|aft.
Bridlington ...
203
Sat.
849
3741
9 m.
12iaft.
Cave, South ..
186
Mon,
170
718
7 m.
4 aft.
Driffield, Great
192
Thurs.
327
1411
8 m.
2 aft.
Easingwold . . .
213
Sat.
373
1964
2|m.
7iaft.
Gisborough ...
248
Frid.
465
2094
9 m.
1 aft.
Hawes
253
182
Tues.
Sat.
281
163
1185
780
Headon
Helmsley
221
Sat.
261
1415
5|m.
3 aft.
Hornsea
19G
Mon.
147
704
Howden
181
Sat.
314
1812
8 m.
3 aft.
Hull
174
231
228
Tu. Fr.
Thurs.
Wed.
4166
160
319
21,299
789
1673
6 m.
3^ aft.
Kilham
Kirk by-moor-side
Ley burn
235
Frid.
112
593
■-
Market Weighton
193
Wed.
528
1508
3 m.
6iaft.
Masham
232
Wed.
213
1014
Middleham . . .
226
Mon.
179
714
New Malton ...
217
Sat.
753
3713
3| m.
4|; m.
6| aft.
North Allerton
226
Wed.
505
2324
6 aft.
Patrington
192
Sat.
381
1539
Pickering
226
Mon.
534
2332
5ipi.
5i aft.
Pocklington . . .
212
Sat.
381
1539
7 m.
5 aft.
Reeth
245
234
Frid.
Sat.
293
501
1394
3056
7 m.
Richmond
4 aft.
Scarborough ...
217
Tu. Sat.
1625
7064
7^ m.
2i aft.
Stokesley
237
Sat.
370
1439
7im.
4im.
9 m,
2^ aft.
Thirsk
222
246
Mon.
Sat.
527
1325
2155
6969
6 aft.
Whitby
11 m.
Varum
237
Thurs.
358
1431
7i m.
3i aft.
The price of postage for a single letter, varies from lOd. to lid. through-
out these Ridings.
( 5 )
INDEX OF DISTANCES FROM TOWN TO TOWN
In the West Riding of YorMiire.
The Names of the respective Towns are on the top and side, and
the square where both meet, gives the distance.
rt<0'0-JDJ>-(Nf^C5i— 'NfO'2^-1?'
'O QC re CO r-H S t^ -O «-
; yr c t^ O 00 -^ O
fci. : '^
5 „ t£ V "O -r- X c: X -* i?: --£ -"I"
'^ o_Ci X-rC£>-^Xf^i-'i-*iN —
c c. ■?» « ^ I
' ^ 0» « --i T»
X p c >-H (M fo i?< -^ fO '-' '
;::ci
; tC '
- X f^ ?» ^
: — — cr. -r -N rt
-?» ^^ ro c: r^i—
&" 2 ;2 S o o» lo t^ rr cJ c; o >c cc -r r; o -r — •-•; '_£
: ^ e ^ Q 'O ^ fTT c^ c< o T <ri 1^ »^ X c .-7 .-: c. o q I--
^; t^ cr. ?i X -n" ■^ o T.
c^ e< ?> (N
o t^ »>• 'C c^
123 t^ « X T c; ■
^
?^?J
~5i
:r
2
5:2
zx
-^
2
^12^
2
^
S2
§^
25^5 2
■^
-<
^
?52
§§
:i
?!
=?,
~
«"
2SSI^
S
?i
??5
-§
i.
2^^^S
2
« O ; ;^ ;
S. :
B S
( 6 )
CO
O 5
fa o
J
3
Corn and cattle of all
kinds.
Coal in abundance.
Woollen, cotton, and iron
manufactures.
s
If
o^
11
1|
"Sf 3
II
U
U
ii
s§
^s
li
p. B
P
g>
e
a
a
J
.2
1
10 Members,
viz.
2 for Aldborougb.
2 for Boroughbridge.
2 for Knaresborough,
2 for Pontefract.
2 for Ripon.
1
24.50 square miles.
1,568,000 statute
acres.
653,315 inhabi-
tants.
9 wapentakes, or
hundreds.
28 market-towns.
1
In length, from
north-west to
south-east, 95
miles.
In breadth 48
miles.
>5
■a
S
3
To the north, by the North
Riding, the river Ouse, mak-
ing part of the division.
To the east, by the Ainsty
Liberty, and by the East Ricf-
ing; the rivers Wharfe and
Ouse being the limits;— and
also by the counties of Lin-
coln and Nottingham.
To tlie south, by Derby-
shire and Cheshire.
To the west, by Lancashire
and Westmoreland.
7 )
INDEX OF DISTANCES FROM TOWN TO TOWN,
In the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire.
The Names of the respective Towns are on the top and side, and
the square where both meet, give the distance.
09 •
'■9 '.
i r; w >- C i TT t^ O '.C t>-
I r^ <-- TT t^ v.-: u ■^ t^ o
X c: sc X — c -- ■
^^ TTi— r<; :i ,- O '
• • _ 1^ ^ ■§ 5 c. u~ c C ■;:• X c. X S-.
iiiiili^IIIIIllllllJ
: : : :^^^
;^g?^
; ; ;.S5s;cj-Trr^©>^'jrx^2o;;so^c5L'>o-;js2;;;c;>-':
■ J s! ;; Lf c ci c- -! X . ■ " ■
— Z ^ <X, Q* i^ -rr -rr '-O ■
^^ c; cj 'J -^ -q- (^ >- -^ ?< y; g) tc >- X f. cs i-t 'O t^
•r :£ cr, cc r-. t^ C C O C — <- X t^ t^ t^ X 'O L-; X c» cc (N C
r; ^ ',C M t^ cc (?* T? X CJ >-'^ t- C< vT' ~; c — --o rt — 'C rt
c c5 X -c- -c c ■<? t^ a
2K:5{::S?o
t- <?} jz c^. -^-j^ j:. '
t^ L- '-C C^ -N O X
. il. fee.
•^='•11 ill? I slll-fl^^lJIJI^ i
(«)
n
o c
Lead, coals,
and alum.
The coarse
linen manu-
factory.
The manu.
factory of car-
pets, and cot-
ton-spinning.
I
1
i
o
c
16 Members,
viz.
2 for Beverley.
2 Headon.
2 Hull.
2 Malton
2 Nortli Allerton.
2 Richmond.
2 Scarborough.
2 Tliirsk.
§
1
c
•J
The North Rid-
ing is divided into
12 wapentakes, or
hundreds; the East
Riding into four;
and contain toge-
ther 34 market-
towns.
if
o|
!J
.2
a
The North Riding extends
83 miles from east to west, and
contains 1,311,187 acres, of
which 442,565 are unculti-
vated.
The East Riding compre-
hends the whole south-east
portion of lire county, having
a sea-coast extending 150
miles, from the Humber to
the North Riding. Its length,
on a medium, extends 40, and
its breadth 32 miles. It con-
tains 819,200 acres.
i
1
The North Riding is bound-
ed on the north by Durham,
and on the northeast by the
German Sea; on the south-east
Iby the East Riding ; on the
south-west by the West Rid-
ing and the Ainsty or Liberty
of the City of York, and on the
west by Westmoreland.
The East Riding is bounded
on the north-west and nortli
by the North Riding ; on tiie
north-east and east by the
German Sea ; on the south by
the river Humber, and on the
west by the West Riding.
S
>*
•s
>>
a
ja
I
A LIST OF THE FAIRS
IN THE
WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
Aboford — First Mond. in April, in May, and in
Oct. and after St. Luke's, and after Ail Soul'b. Cat-
tle, sheep, and pedlary.
Adwalton — Feb. 6, March 9, Thursday in Easter
week, Thursday fortnight after Euster, Thursday
month after Easter, Whit.-Thursday, and every
Thursday fortnight after till Michaelmas, horses,
sheep, pedlary, and tin-ware.
Barnsley — Wednesday before 28 Feb., horned cattle
and swine; May 12, ditto; Oct. 10, ditto, horses
and cheese.
Bawtry — Whit.-Thursday, Old Martinmas Nov. 22,
cattle and horses.
Bingley — January 25, horned cattle; Aug. 25, 26,
and 27, horned cattle, sheep, and linen.
Black Burton — Whit.-Mond., horned cattle.
Bradfield — June 17, Dec. 9, chiefly for swine.
Bradford — March 3 and 4, horned cattle, and house-
. hold furniture; June 17, 13, 19, ditto, sheep and
ditto; Dec. 9, 10, 11, hogs -and pedlary.
Borougkbridge — April 27, horned cattie, and sheep;
June 22, do. horses and do. hardware; Oct. 2'5,
horned cattle and sheep.
Cazcood — May 12, cattle and wooden ware.
Clapham — St. Matthew, Sept. 21, sheep.
Dezcsbury — Wednesday before May 12, Wednesday
before Oct. 10, horned cattle and sheep.
Doncastcr—A^xW 5, Aug. 5, Nov. 20, and Monday
10 LIST OF FAIRS.
before Old Candienius day, Feb. 13, horses, cattle,
sheep, and pedlary.
Gargrave — Dec. 1 1 and 29, horned cattle, and toys.
Grassington — March 4, horned cattle; April 24, June
29, sheep; Sept. 26, horned cattle.
Gisburn — Easter Monday, Monday fortnight after
Easter, Saturday after Monday month from Easter,
horned cattle; Monday five weeks after Easter,
pedlary; Sept. 18 and 19, horned cattle and pedlary.
Halifax— 3 nne 24, horses.
Harewood — Last Saturday in April, and second Mon-
day in Oct.
Haworth — July 22, pedlary; Oct. 14, horned cattle,
and pedlary.
llolmsfirth — Oct. 30, horned cattle.
Huddersfield— March 31, May 14, Oct. 4, lean horned
cattle, and horses.
Ingleton — Nov. 17, leather and oatmeal.
Keighlei/'— May 8, horned cattle, brass, and pewter;
Nov. 8, horned cattle, brass, pewter, and pedlary.
Knaresborough — Wednesday after Jan. 13, Thursday,
sheep ; Wednesday after March 12, next day,
sheep; May 6 and 7, sheep; Wednesday after
August 12, Tuesday and Wednesday after Oct. 10,
and Wednesday after Nov. 22, statute; Wednesday
and Thursday after Dec. 10, every Wednesday fort-
night, cattle.
Leyburn — Second Friday in Feb., second Friday in
May, second Friday in Oct., second Friday in Dec,
honied cattle and sheep.,
Long Prest07i — Leap Year, March 1, or Feb. 28,
Sept. 29, cattle.
Malham — June 25, Oct. 4, sheep.
Northourum — ^Sept. 21, cattle.
Otley — Wednesday in Easter week, every fortnight
LI51' OF I AIRS. 11
till Whil-Siinday, and then every three weeks.
horned cattle, household goods; Friday before Nov.
22, statute.
Penniston — Thursday before Feb. 28, last Thursday
in March, Thursday before old May-day, May 12,
Thursday after Old Michaelmas day, Oct. 10, sheep,
horned cattle, and horses.
Pontefract — St. Andrew's fair on the first Saturday in
Dec; Twenty days fair the first Saturday after the
20th day from Christmas; Candlemas fair, the first
Saturday after Feb. 13; St. Giles's fair, the first
Saturday after Sept. 12, April 8, and May 4, cat-
tle and sheep, &c.; all tlie other moveable fairs,
viz. Palm-Sunday, Low Sunday, May 4, and Trinity
Sunday, to be held on the Saturday before eacli of
those days respectively. The fortnight fairs will
always be held on the Saturday next after York
fortnight fairs as usual. The sliow for horses, for-
merly called Palm-Sunday show, will always for the
future begin on the 5th Feb. cattle, sheep, &c.
Bipley — Easter Monday, horned cattle, and hoi-ses;
Easter Tuesday, sheep; August 25, 26, 27, sheep,
horned cattle and linen.
Ripon — Thursday after Jan. 13, horses, horned cattle
and leather; May 12, 13, horses, and sheep: first
Thursday in June, horned cattle, horses, leather,
and sheep; first Thursday after August 22, Novem-
ber 22, horses and sheep; every other Thursday,
cattle, and sheep.
Rotherham — Whit.-Monda^, horned cattle, and sheep;
Dec. 1, cattle and horses; every Monday, cattle,
and sheep.
Sedbergh—M^rch 10, Oct. 29, horned cattle.
.Se%— Easter Tuesday, June 29, Oct. 10, cattle,
wool, linen, tin, and copper-ware.
Se/Z/e— Tuesday before Palm-Sunday, Thursday be-
fore Good-Friday, and every other Friday till
Whit-Sunday, horned cattle; April 26, sheep;
12 LIST OF FA]1{<».
June 2, and every Monday fortnight, cattle, and
sheep; August 13 to 21, first Tuesday after Oct.
27, horned cattle, leather, wool, sheep, iambs, &c.
Sheffield — Tuesday after Trinity Sunday, Nov. 28,
cattle and horses.
Sherburn — Oct. 6, Flax and horses.
Skipton—^l^vch 25, horned cattle and sheep; Palm-
Sunday Eve, horses; Easter-Eve, cattle and sheep;
first and third Tuesday after Easter, horned cattle ;
Whitsun-Eve, linen cloth, and mercery; August 5,
horses, and cloth; November- 20, horned cattle;
November 22, horses, broad-cloth, and pedlary.
Slaidbur?i—¥eh. 14, April 15, Aug. l,Oct. 20, cattle.
Snaith — Last Thursday in April, August 10, cattle,
horses, and pedlary; first Friday in Sept. cattle.
Stamford Bridge — Dec. 1, horses, horned cattle,
sheep, brass, pewter, hard-ware, and woollen-cloth.
Tadcaster — Last Wednesday in April, May, and Oct.
sheep and cattle.
Thome — First Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
after June 11, and also the said days after Octo-
ber 11, horned cattle, horses, and pedlary.
Wakefield — July 4, and 5, horses, and hardware;
November 11, 12. If either of these days fall on
a Sunday, the fair is held the Saturday before,
horses, and horned cattle; Note, July 5 and Nov.
12, are pleasure fairs, for toys, &c.
Wetherhy — Holy Thursday, August 5, Oct. 10, Thurs-
day before Nov. 22, statute, and horses, sheep,
and hogs.
Whitgift—i\i\sj 22, pedlary.
ForA:— Whit.-Monday, July 10, August 12, Nov. 22,
and principal markets, every other Thursday in the
year, sheep; the half yciir show for horses; the
summer show on 3Ionday in York race week; the
winter show on Monday Dec. 17, the first whole
week before Christmas, horses.
A LIST OF THE FAIRS
IX THE
NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE.
Adwalton — Feb. 6, March 9; Thursday in Easter
week; Thursday fortnight after Easter; Thursday
month after Easter; Whit-Thursday and every
Thursday fortnight after, till Michaehiias; horses,
sheep, pedlary, and tin-ware.
Aldborough — Sept. 4.
Appletreickk^Oct. 25 and 27, cattle, and horses.
Askrigg — May 10, horned cattle; May 17, and first
Thursday in June, woollen cloth, pewter, brass,
and milliner's goods; Oct. 28, horned cattle; Oct.
29, woollen, &c.
Astwick — Thursday before Whit.-Sunday, horned cat-
tle.
Barns Burton — May 14, horses, sheep, and beasts.
Bedale — Easter-Tuesday, Whit.-Tuesday, July 5 and 6,
horned castle, horses, leather, pewter, brass, tin,
millinery, and sheep; Oct. 10, 11, horned cattle,
sheep, hogs, and leather; Tuesday se'nnight before
Christmas, do. cattle and sheep»
Bentham — June 24, cattle.
Beverley — Thursday before old Valentine, Feb. 25,
April 5, Wednesday before May 12, Holy Thurs-
day, July 5, Sept. 14, Nov. 5, and Wednesday after
Dec. 25, beasts, horses, and sheep.
Bolton — June 28, cattle and pedlary.
Brandesburton — May 14.
Brawby — First Monday after July 11, cattlf, toys,
earthenware.
c
li LIST OF FAIRS.
Bridlington — Monday before Whitsuntide, Oct. 21,
linen-clotli and toys.
Brumpton — Nov. 12, swine, and a few horses.
CoxzLoId — August 25, horned cattle, sheep, hnen and
woollen cloth, pewter, and hardware.
Easingwold — July 5, Sept. 25, horned cattle, horses,
sheep, linen, and woollen cloth.
Eg ton — Tuesday before Feb. 15, Tuesday before
May 11, Sept. 4, Tuesday before Nov. 22, horned
cattle, boots and shoes.
Frodlingham — July 10, Oct. 2, toys and pedlary.
Gisborough — Third Monday and Tuesday after /ipril
11, linen cloth and horned cattle; Tuesday in Whit-
sun-week, horned cattle, and linen; August 26,
linen, and cattle; August 27, Sept. 19, oq^ and
first Monday after Nov. 11, horned cattle.
Grinton — Good Friday, St. Thomas's Day, Dec. 21,
cloth, brass, pewter, tin, and millinery.
Howes — Whit.-Tucsday, woollen, &:c.; Sept. 28, ditto
horned cattle, horses, &c.
Headon — Every fortnight from Shrove Monday to
Midsummer, Feb. 11, August 2, Sept. 22, Nov. 17,
Dec. 6, pewter, tin, leather wares, and milhnery
goods.
Helinsle^ Blackmoor — May 19, July 16, Oct. 2,
Nov. 6, horned cattle, sheep, horses, linen and
woollen cloth.
Harnsej/ — August 13, Dec. 17, liorses and beasts,
Hozcden — Second Tuesday after Jan. 11, April 5,
Saturday before Holy Thursday, second Tuesday
after July 11. Oct. 2, horses, cattle, and linen.
Hull— Ji\]y 10, Oct. 10, and Dec. 10, the first and
last for six days each, for horses and toys.
Hunmanhy — May 6, Oct. 29, toys.
Ket I lezLell-- July 6, Sept. 2, sheep.
LIST Of FAIRS. 15
Kilham — August 21, Nov. 12, horses and beasts.
Kirkhy-Moor-side — Whit.-Wednesday, horned cattle,
and horses; Sept. 18, for sheep, linen, and woollen
cloth.
Kirkham — Trinity Monday, sheep, brass, pewter,
hardware, pots, and small ware.
Lee — August 24, Sept. 17, horses, and cheese.
Leeds — July 10, horses, and hardware; Oct. 8, and
every Monday fortnight, cattle, &c.; Nov. 8,
horned cattle, horses, and hardware.
Leighton — Midsummer Day, June 24, pedlary.
Little Driffield— Easter-Monday, Whit.-Monday, Au-
gust 26, Sept. 19, horses and leather.
Malton — Monday before Palm-Sunday, horses and
horned cattle; day before Whit-Sunday, sheep,
brass, and pewter; Oct. 10, hardware, pots, and
small ware; Oct. 11, sheep.
Masham — Sept. 17 and 18, horned cattle, sheep, and
pedlary.
Middleham — Easter-Monday, Whit.-Monday, Nov. 5,
sheep ; Nov. 6, horned cattle.
Moor-Kirk — June 24, leather ware.
North Allerton—Yeh. 14, May 2, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, se-
cond Wednesday in Oct , horned cattle, horses, and
sheep.
Putrington — March 28, July 18, Dec. 6, toys.
Pickering — Monday before Old Candlemas day, Mon-
day before Old Midsummer day, Sept. 25, cattle
and sheep; Monday before Old Michaelmas-day,
cattle, &c.
Pocklington— March 7, (if leap-year, March 6), May
6, August 5, Nov. 28, horses, cattle, sheep, and
leather ware; Dec. 7, 18, show of horses; seven
days before St. Matthias, February 24, show of
horses; seven days before Christmas Day, show of
horses. c 2
Id LIST OF FAIKS.
Tieeth — Friday before Palm-Sunday, Friday se'nnight
before Old' May-Day, May 12, Friday' before St.
Bartholomew, August 24, Friday se'nnight before
Old Martinmas, Nov. 22, pewter, brass, hawkers,
and pedlary.
Jikhmond — Saturday after New Candjeraas, sheep,
horses, and swine; Saturday before Palm Sunday,
first Saturday in July, Sept. 25, horned cattle,
horses, and sheep.
Scarborough — Holy Thursday, Nov. 22, toys.
Seamer — July 15, boots, shoes, and horses.
South Cave — Trinity-Monday, horses, and sheep.
Stokely — Saturday before Trinity-Sunday, horned cat-
tle, horses, and linen cloth.
Thirsk — Shrove-Monday, April 5, leather; August
3, 4, 5, do. ; Oct. 28 and 29, Dec. 14, horned cattle,
horses, sheep, and leather.
Tollertoyi — August 15, horned cattle, horses, sheep,
and cheese.
Topcliff—3\i\y 17, 18, sheep, horned cattle, horses,
<Scc.
Weighton — May 14, Sept. 25, horses and slieep.
Yurum — Thursday before April 5, Holy Thursday,
August 2, October 19, horned cattle,' liorses, and
ghfit'D.
AN ITINERARY
OF ALL THE
DIRECT AND PRINCIPAL CROSS ROADS
IN THE
WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE:
IN WHICH ARE INCLUDED
THE STAGES, INNS, AND GENTLEMEN'S SEATS.
N. B. The first Column contains the Names of Places
passed through^ and the Inns; the Figures thatfolloiv^ shew
the Distances from Place to Place., Town to Town., and
Stages; and in the last Column are the Names of Gentle-
men^s Seats and Inns. The right and left of the Roads are
distinguished hy the letters R. and L.
LONDON TO YORK.
Kingsland • • • •
On L. a T. R.
to Highgatc,
Stoke Nevvington
Stamford-hill • •
On L. a T. R.
to Enfield.
Tottenham Cross
Tottenham • • • •
Upper Edmon-
ton
Lower Edmon-
ton
On L. a T. R.
to Enfield.
Ponder's End • ■
Entield Highway
Enfield Wash • •
Waltham Cross
Herts.
H
1
1
n
H
1
5
1
6
1
4
ei
H
«l
1
1
91
10
Hi
Beyond, 4 miles on L.
Grove-house, — Chat-
teris, esq.
Bruce-castle, J. Ede, esq.
L.
Inns : Angel, and Bell.
Between 7 and 8tk mile-
stone on L. see on Forty*
hill, J. Meyer, esq.
Through on R. see Dm-
ranfs Arbour.
[nn: The Rose and Croze n.
See on L. Theobalds, q
large red house, J, M.
c 5
18
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
On R. a T. R.
to Waltham Ab-
bey.
Turner's Hill ••
Cheshunt-Street
Cheshunt-Wash
Wormley • • • •
Cross the New
R.
Broxbourne • • • •
HODDESDON
Through on L.
a T.R. to Hert-
ford.
Amwell
A T. R. to
Hertford.
Cross the New
R. and the Lea.
Ware
On R. a T. R.
to Stevenage.
Ci^oss the Rib R.
Wade's-Mill • •
High Cross • ■
Collier's End
Puckeridge
n
Hi
13
14
141:
151
17
191
201
221
231:
24
261
Raikes, esq, — Inns :
Falcon, and Four Swans,
Wormley'Bury, Sir Abror
ham Hume, bart,
Wormley Lodge, Mrs,
Ayres, L.
A White Gothic House,
Admiral Williums, R. —
Inns: the Black Lion
and Bull.
Amwell Bury, C, Browne,
esq.
Ware Park, T. Hope Byde,
esq. — Inns: Bull, and
Saracen^s Head.
Sacomb-park, Geo. Cas-
zvall, esq. L.; at a dis-
tance,Bennington-purk,
C. M. Campbell, esq.;
At Wade's Mill, on R.,
is Youngsbury,!). Giles,
esq.; and Thundridge'
bury, P. Hollingsworth,
esq. — Inn: the Fea-
thers.
Beyond on L., St. Ed-
yvwid's College, erected
for the education qfCa^
tholics.
Near 1 mile beyond on L.,
THE WEST RIDING OP YORKbUIUE.
Through on R.,
a T.R. to Cam-
bridge. Cross the
Rib R.
Buntingford
Chipping • • • •
Buckland • • • •
E.OYSTON
On R. a T. R
to Cambridge, on
L. to Baldock.
Kneesworth
Cambridgeshire.
Cross the ReaR.
Arrington • • • •
Cungrave
Caxton
If milebeyoyid.
a T. R. on R. to
Cambridge ; onL
to St. Iseofs.
Papvvorth St.
Everard • • • •
1 mile on R, i
T. R. to St, Ives ;
on L. to Pot ton.
Godmanchester
Hunts,
n
4
n
H
301-
32i
331
371
40|
44
49i
52i
571
19
HameVs-park, Miss MeU
lish.— Inn: The Bell
Aspenden-hall, Rev. Mr.
Pr est 071, L. ; Hormead-
bury, Col. Staples, R. ;
1 mile on R., Corney"
bury, — Butts, esq. ; be-
yond which, is Widdial"
hall. Gen. Gzvynne. —
Inns: Bell, and George,
Near is Cockenhatch, Sir
Fras. Willes. — Inns:
Bull, Crozvn, and Red
Lion.
neesworth-hall. Sir C. E.
Nightingale, bart.
Beyond on R., Nuneham
Wimpole, Earl of Hard-
zoicke. — Inn: Hard-
wicke Arms.
Between and Caxton on L.,
Stow-hall, Dr. Thomp-
son,
ins: The Cro^n, and
George,
20
ITINERARY Of THE HOADS IN
On R. a 7'. R.
to Cambridge and
St. Ives; 071 L. to
St. Neot's. Cross
the Ouse.
Huntingdon
On R. a T. R.
to Ramsey ; on L.
to St. Neot^s and
Thrapston.
Great Stukeley
Little Stukeley
Alcoiibury-hill
OnR. a T.R
to London, thro
Huntingdon.
Sawtry St. An-
drews
Stilton
Norman's Cross
OnR. a T.R
to Feterboro\
Kate's Cabin • •
On R.a T.R
to Peterhoro ; on
L. to Oundle.
Water-Newton
Cross the Nen R
Wandsford • • • •
Kortha?npton.
On R. a T. R
to Feterhord; on
L. to Uppingham
Thornhaugh
Wittering • • • ■
Whitewater
Withiti I a ynile
ofStatnfordon L.,
a T.R, to Ketter-
ing.
H
58i
601
61|
64
67f
71
72
751
77;
79|
80i
82
Hinchinbrook'hous€f Earl
of Sandwich, and the
Views, G. Sharpe, esq,
— Inns: Crown, Foun-
tain, arid George,
C. Newton, esq. L.
Inn : The Wheat Sheaf.
See on R. Conington-castle.
Inns: The Angel, and Bell.
1 mile on L., Long Or ton,
Earl «f Aboyne.
Inn: The Haycock,
THE WEST RIDING 01 YOP.KSHIKE.
2i
STAMFORD •'
Cross the Wel-
land, enter Lin-
colnshire. On R.
a T.R. to Mar-
ket-Deeping and
Bourne; on L. to
Uppingham, thrd
the town; on L,
to Oakham. 1
mile from Stam-
ford, cross the
Guash R. and
enter Rutlandsh,
Great Casterton
Horn-lane
Greetham • •
Within 1 mile
of the Black Bull
Inn on L., a T. R
to Oakham.
Witham Cora-
2^
mon
Lincolnshire.
Coltersworlh • •
OnR.a T.R
to Corbr/.
Great Ponton
Near Grantham
n
85i
4i
93
97
98f
103
Within i mile on R. is Bur-
leigh-house, the magni-
ficent seat of the Mar-
quis of Exeter: the
paintings are reckoned
the most valuable collec*
tion in the kingdom. —
Worthop, on L. is a
scat in ruins, belonging
also to the Marquis of
Exeter. — Inns: The.
George, and Angel, the
George, and New Ho-
tel.
l| mile on R. lale-
Thorpe, Col. Denshirej
and Stocken-hall, Gen.
Grosvenor.
Exton-park, Sir Gerard
N. Noel, bart. The
New Inn*
Inn: The Bull.
On L. at Woolsthorpe, the
house in which Sir Isaac
Newton zcas born, E,
Tumor, esq. ; 2 miles on
L. Buchninster-parkf
Sir W. Manners, bart. ;
If mile beyond Colters-
worth on R. is Easton,
Sir M. Cholmeley, barf.
Sproxton-hall, — Perce-
val, €!^q. L. ; 1 niile he.-
22
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
on L. a T. R. ta
MeUon-Mou-
bray.
Grantham •• ••
Through on L.,
a T. R. to Not-
tin sha7n.
Gunnerbv
Foston
Long Bennington
Balderton • • • •
Nottinghamsh.
Newark
On R. a T. R.
to S leaf or d and
Lincoln; on L.
to Nottingham.
Cross the Dean
R.; on L. a T. R
to Southwell.
Mamfield, and
Worksop. About
1 mile from Nezv-
arkj cross the
Trent R.
Cromwell . •
Carlton • . • •
Sutton •
Scarthing-moor
TUXFOUD
Retford
H
4
2
2i
H
H
2|
21
7
106^
108|
112i
1141
1181
126
1271
1311
1331
1401
7/ond Great Ponton^ see
on R., at Little Ponton^
Sir Charles Kent, bart.
Beyond on 11., Belton*
house. Earl Bi\izvnlow ;
a little further, on a
hill, Syston-park, Sir
John Thorold, bart. —
Inns: The Angelf and
the George.
A fine prospect from the
hill'. Lincoln Minster y
R.; Belvoir-castlCfDuke
of Rutland, L.
Staunton-hallj Rev* Dr.
Staunton,
Inns : Kingston's Arms,
Ratn, and Saracen^s
Head,
Inn: The Bell.
Ossington-hull, J. Denni'
son, esq. 2 miles on L.
[nn : The Blue Lion.
Fnn : Red Lion.
[nns : The Angel, Crown,
and White Hart.
THE WEST HIDING OP YOUKSHIRE.
R
Barnby-moor
BaWTPvY • • • •
DONC ASTER • •
OnL.aT.R.to
Worksop and Ra-
ther ham. Cross
the Don R. One
mile beyond,
L., a T. R.
Barmlei/.
Red House •
On L. a T.
to Wakefield.
Robin Hood's
Well ....
VVent-bridge
Cross the Went
n.
Darrington • •
2 1 miles beyond
■on R., a T. R
to Snuith ; on L.
to Pontefract.
jFerry-bridge . •
On L. a T. R.
to Pontefract; on
R. to York. Cross
the Aire R.
Brotherton • • . ♦
On L. a T. R.
.to Wet her by ; on
R. to Selby; and
on L. to Leeds.
South Milford • •
Sherburn
Barkston
31
n
3i
u
n
144 r.ui: The Blue Belt.
149|: Viscount Galaay, L. —
Inn: the Crown.
158 1 1 mile on L., at Cusworlh,
W. Wright son, esq.;
1 mile fur ther, Wood-
lands-hall — Inns: An'
gel, and Red Lion.
163
1641
168i
iroi
I73i
174
1771
179i
180|
Broaduorth-hous^e, Chas.
2'helluson, esq. L.
Between Went-bridge and
Darrington, Stapleton-
park, Hon. — Petre;
1 mile from, on R,,
Grove-hall, W. Lee, esq.
Inns : Angel, Greyhound,
Rein Deer, and Swan,
Bryam, Sir J. Ramsden,
hart. — Inn : The Old
Fox.
Inn : The Swan.
Scurthingucll-hull Si' park,
Lord Hawke, R,
Tow ton
ITIKERARY OF THE ROADS IX
Tadcaster • • • •
On L. a T. R
to Leeds and
Harewood. Cross
the Wharf R.
Strt-et-IIouses •
Dring-Houscs
Near York on
L. a T. R. to We-
therhf and Bo-
roughhridge.
Cross the Ouse R.
York
U
H
183
185i
1881
Beyond, on L. see Huile-
wood-hall, Lady Vava-
sour ; 1 mile beyond, on
R. Grimston-house, Sir
John Craddock.
Mount Pleasant, W. J.
C lough, esq, R. Thro\
on L., Healavgh Manor,
— Brooksbank, esq. ;
bey07id uhich, Wigh ill-
park, Hon. Sir Staple-
ton Chetwynd, bari., and
Belton-hall—inns: Rose
and C}
and White
193|
195
Horse.
Between and Dring-houses
I on R. Bishopsthorpe Pa-
luce, Archbishop oJ'York;
and Middlethorpe, S. F.
Barlow, esq.; Askham,
JohnCarr, esq. L. — Inn :
the Pack-horse.
Inn : J'he Cross Keys.
Inns: The Black Swan,
Ettidge's,Falcon, George,
Red Lion, White Horse,
and York Tavern.
THE WEST RIDING OF YOKKSIIIRE,
25
INGLETON TO ROTHERHAM,
THROUGH SETTLE, SKIPTON, KEIGHLEY, IIALIFAX
HUDDERSFIELD, AND BARNSLEY.
Ingleton to
At Claphamy J. Farrer, esq
Clapham
Giggleswick
Settle
Ijong Preston
Hellifield Cochins
Cold Conniston
Gargrave
Littleton
Skipton
Snagil
Kildwick
Cross-hills
Eastburn
Steeton
Keighlly . • .
Hainworth Shaw
n
14;
24|
26i
28
30|
3H
32
33
35|
371
Aaticick, Columbus Taglebi/,
esq, uiid Thomaii Ingleby,
esq.
Lazckland-hally John Ingle-
by, esq. R.
The ebbing and flowing uell.
Belle-hill, Anty. Lister, esq.
Beck-hall, Mrs. Backhouse.
LangsclUf'e'place, E. Clay-
ton, esq. L.
Stack-house, IV. Clapham,
esq. L.
Betneen the bridge aud town,
Marshjield, Mrs. Parker, R.
Inn : May-pole.
Halton-place, ThomasYorke,
esq.
Feel, Jas. Hammerton, esq. R.
fnn : Bay-horse.
Seat of John Coulhurst, esq. L.
Eshton-hall, Josh. Crompton,
esq.
Flashby-hallfRevJ. Presto?!,
Inns: Black Horse, New Inn,
TheCastkf EarlqfThanet.
Car-head, W. Wainham, esq.
R.
At Steeton, Thos. Garforth,
esq.
Inns: Devonshire Anns, Nca
Inn.
26 ITINERARY Of THE ROADS IN
Hainworth river
Culling worth • •
Denholm-gate
IlUngworth • •
Ovendon
Halifax ••••
Salter Hebble-
bridge • • • •
Cross theCalder
t^iver.
Ealand
HUDUERSFIELD
Cross the Calne
river,
Aldmonbury • •
Highgate-lane
Flockton
Midgely
Bretton •
Darton
Barnsley •
Bank-top Inn
Worsbo rough
Wentworth • •
Cortvvorth • • • •
Nether Hough
39i
•19^
.5H
53J
58
61|
65
68
69i
ro|
75X
77:
New-house, J. Mitchell, esq.
Inns: Talbot, and White
Lion.
Fixbyhall, T.Thomhill,esq.
[nns : George, and Swan.
Woodshall-hall, Earl ofDart-
mouth.
Whitley-hall, Henry Beau-
mont, esq. L.
The Grange, Sir J. L. Kaye,
hart. L.
Bretton-park, T. B,. Beau-
mont, esq. R.
Hague-hall, Mrs. Cotton, R.
Canywn-hall, Walter Spencer
Stanhope, esq. R.
Brethwaite-hall, Mark Shel-
ton, esq. R.
Inn: White Bear.
Wentzcorth'castle, Went'
worth Vernon, esq.
At Worsborough, Francis
Bdmunds, esq. R.
Wentivorth-house and park,
Earl TitzwiUiam.
3 miles west of Botherham,
is Grange-hall, Baron
Hoaurd of Effing ha7n.
THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
27
Greasborough
ROTHERHAM <
79|
80i
i Aldwarkj S. Walker, esq. L.
Carr-house^.T. Fenton, esq. L,
At Rotherham are the ex-
tensive iron and steel
uorks of Messrs. Walker,
— Inns: Croun, and Red
Lion.
SHEFFIELD TO THORNE,
THROUGH ROTHERHAM AND DONCAbTER.
Sheffield to
2 ^AttercUffe-hallyS.Staniforth
AtterclifFe • •
Car Brook • .
Tinsley • • • •
Rotherham
Thriburgh
Hooton Roberts
Conisbrough • • •
WarmswortI) • • •
Balby . .
Doncaster
Street Thorpe
Park-lane • • •
Hadfield • • .
Tud worth
Thorne
2|-i esq. Richard Szva How, esq.
3|! L.
6|Inns: Crown, and Red Lion.
Ql Clifton, — Walker, esq. R.
7^ Eastwood, Mrs. Walker, L.
e^Aldwark, S. Walker, esq. L.
UfUf Thriburgh, — Fullerton,
esq. L. ; Ravensfield-park,
13 Rev. Mr. Bosville, R.
15 Crookhill-hall, J. Woodyear
esq. R.
\7\ Overley-grange, B. Cooke,
esq. L.
19 At Balby, is a seat of Col,
20| Sowerby.
22| Wheatley, Sir G. Cook, hart.
JLi.
24^ At Street Thorpe, George
27 Cook, esq.
29| At Hadfield, W. Gossip, esq.
Edward Dealtry, esq. and
31i E. Cartwright, esq.
32| Inn: Red Lion.
D Q
28
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
BURNLEY, IN LANCASHIRE, TO HALIFAX
AND WAKEFIELD.
Burnley to
Cliviger
Holme
Brown's Bilks,
T.G.
Todmerdon • - • •
Brig Royd • • • •
Hebden-bridge, Y.
May Royd • • • •
Luddington-foot
King's-cross • • •
Halifax • • • •
Hipperholm • • •
Lightcliff
Belly-bridge
High Town • •
Mill-bridge • •
Heckmondwick
Batly Car • • • •
141
m
20i
211
231
241
251
27
29
30
311
A mile from Burnley ^ is Fid-
lidge, John Brookhurstf
esq. R. ; fa tnile further,
Hollings, G. Hamiliorij
esq.'L.; Q, miles from Burn-
ley-hall, P, Towneley, esq.
R.
At Holme, Rev. Dr. Whita-
ker.
About 3 miles from Todmer-
don, is Vnderhank, Christ,
Rawdon, esq.
Mitholm, J. King, esq. L.
Beticeen Hehden-bridge and
Halifax, Warley-houst, J.
Cook, esq. L.; near which
is Cliff-hill, J. Milnes, esq.
L.; Willozt-hall, D. Dy-
son, esq. R.
Near King's-cross, Willozi>
edge, T. Dyson, esq. L.
Near Lightcliff, Cliff-hill, J.
Walker, esq. R.; Crozc-
nest, J. Walker, esq.;
Fixhy-hall, T. Thornhill,
esq. R.
Kirklees-hall, Sir George
Aj-mituge, bart. R.; Hea-
ton-lodge, Maj.-Gen. Bar-
nard.
At Mill-bridge, the late Sir
Jo%. Rndcliff, bart.
THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
29
New Inn • •
Wakefield
Dewsbury Ip'H Croic-yicst, John Hnj/t, esq.
R.; Sfancliffc-house, S.
Thompson, esq. L.
Street 2 :34| About 4 ?nilesfrom Dewsbury
is Lup set-hull J D.Gaskellf
2 36| esq.
1 -37^ Near Wakefield, Silcoats,
T. Lamb, esq.; Thornes-
house, the seat of D, Gas-
kelL esq. \l.
MANCHESTER TO DONCASTER,
THROUGH PEMSTOXE AND BARNSLEY.
Manchester to
Duckingfield-todge, W. i?.
Ashtoii-under-
line, Lancashire
Stayley-bridge • •
Tongfold
Land-ends
Mottram in Long-
dendale
Wedenshaw-green
Tintwistle
Woodhead
Further Wood-
head
Salter's Brook-
house
Thurlston ......
Penistone ••••
Cross the river
Don.
Iloyland Swaine
Silkstone
Field Head
Dodu'orth
^
6^
H
8
H
9t
H
11
i
Hi
i
iH
li
13^
H
m
H
18-1
1
m
o
24^
11
26
1
27
2
29
21
3U
1
32^
1
33i
Hay, esq.
Bull-house-hall, Jas. Banks
esq. L.
Inn : Rose and CroKu.
Gunthzvaite-hall, — Har-
grave, esq.
Cannon-half, W. S. Stan-
hope, esq.; Bank's-hall,
Samuel Thorpe, esq. L.
Wejiiuorth-casile. W. Ver"
D 3
30
Barnsley
Ardsley
ITI>£RARY OF THE ROADS IN
Darfield
Cross the Dearn
river.
Hickleton
Mar
DONCASTER
35i
sn
40i
44^
461
>0i
lion, esq. R. At Dodworth
are seats of Wm. Parker,
esq., William Gar lick,
esq., and Richard Perkins,
esq.
Birk-house, B. Taylor, esq. ;
Park-house, T. Taylor,
esq. R.
Two miles south of Ardsley,
is Woodrhall, J. Garland,
esq.
At Ardsley is Ardsley-house,
Richard Micketthzvaite,
esq.
Middlezcood'hall, Mrs. Wal-
ker, L.
Thurnscoe, C. Palmer, esq.L.
Bamborough Grange, Mrs.
Farrer, Hickleton'hall,G.
Wentworth, esq. R.; Hut-
ton Pagnal, St. A. Ward,
esq ; Belvedere, from which
are seen York and Lincoln
Cathedrals, and 120 pa-
rish churches ; Bilham-
house, C. Thelluson, esq.
i-i.
Broadsworth, late C. Thellu-
son, esq. L.
About 2 miles from Doncas-
ter, Cusworth, William
Wrighton, esq, R.
Inns: Angel, Red Lion, and
Rein Deer.
THE WEST RIDING Or YORKSHIRE.
31
HALIFAX TO RLPLEY,
THROUGH BRADFORD A.KD OTLEY.
Halifax to
Booth's Town • •
Beggarington,T.G.
Clayton Heights
Old Dolphin Inn,
Great Horton • •
Bradford . ' • •
Eccleshill
Apperley Bridge
Cross the river
Aire.
Nether Yeadon •
Upper Yeadon •
Guiseley
Otley
Cross the Wharf
rivery and further
in the Washburn'
beck.
West End • •
Beck Bottom
Brackenthwaite
Beck with Shaw
Killenhall ....
Cross the riz
Nidd.
Ripley
l|
H
H
34
lU
121
13i
171
21
2U
23|:
24i
28
29
At Boiling, West Bierlet/,
Mrs. Richardson, R.
At Little Horton, C. S. B.
Sharpe, esq. and Mrs.
Hodsden. — Inns: Sun, and
Talbot.
At Eccleshill, Mrs. Scott.
Woodhouse Grove, F. Clap^
ham, esq.; a seat of Abra,
Rhodes, esq.; beyond Ap-
perley Bridge, at Apperley
Lane Head, L. Hind, esq.
Esholt'hall, Mrs. Rookes.
Inns: Black Horse, White
Horse.
Farnley-hall, W. Faukes,
esq.
Ripky-hall, Sir W. Ingilby,
hart. — Inn : Star.
32
ITINERARY OF THE HOADS IN
LEEDS TO SELBY.
Leeds to
HakonDial, r.G.
Halton • • • '
Whitchurch
West Garforth
Peckfield Com-
mon
Monk Fryston •
Ilambleton • • •
Thorpe Willaby
Selby ••
21-
i
1
3
4
.
6
3|
n
3^
18
n
;oi
Temple Kezcsam, Marquis
of Hertford, R.; Aus-
thorpe-kall, Miss Scot, L.
At Kippaxy T. Medhursi
esq. R.; Kippax-park, J.
Bland, esq.
Ledston-lodge, W. Smithson,
esq.; and Ledston-hall, C.
Wilson, esq.
21 201 Inn : George.
HALIFAX TO YORK,
THROUGU BRADFORD, LEEDS, AND TADCASTER.
Halifax to
Ilayley Hill, T. G.
Booth's Town -
Catherine Stack
Beggarington
Clayton Heights
Great liorton •
Bradford
Calverley Moor
Calverlev Moor,
t,g:
Stanningley • • •
Broad Lane • •
Kirkstall Bridge
Cross the river
Aire.
1
1
4
4-
1
n
H
n
i
3
H
4i
H
6
2
8
n
9i
i
10
n
m
H
131
n
15
21 Inn : Coach and Horses.
Inn : Old Dolphin.
At Boiling, West Bierley,
Mrs. Richardson, R.
Inns: Sun, and Talbot.
Inn : George.
Horsforth, W. S. Stanhope,
esq. L.
Wither, S. Todd, esq.; Arm-
ley Rigg, Mrs. Rhodes.
THE WEST RIDINO OF YORKSHIRE.
35
Burley
Leeds
Halton, T,G. • •
Seacroft
Kidhall Inn • • • •
Tadcaster . • • •
Cross the Wharf
river.
Street-houses
Ring-houses
Cross the river
Ouse.
York ••••
16i
18
H
20i
n
22
4
26
21
28i
n
30
2
32
H
35i
H
40
2
42
Inns: Golden Lion, Hotel,
King's Arms, Rose and
Crown, J'albot.
Killingheck-hall , — Hanson,
esq, L.
At Seucrojt, J. Farren, L.
Morrick-house, Gray,
esq. R.
Bramhayn-park, W. Fox, esq.
L. ; Becca-house, Mrs.
Markham, R.
Nerc-house, Sir H. Tempest,
hart.
Hazlewood-hall, Lady Vava-
sour.
Tulston- lodge, T. Duncomhe,
esq. L.
Inns: Hos^e and Crown,
White Horse.
Healaugh Manor, William
Brooksbnnk, esq.L.; Wig-
hill, Sir Stapleton Chet-
wynd, hart. L. ; Bilton-
hall, late — Plumer, esq.
Bishopthorpe, Archbishop of
York, R.; Middlethorpe,
S. F. Barlow, esq. R. ; Ask-
hcm, John Carr. esq. L.
Inns: Black Swan, Falcon,
George, Red Lion, Ring-
rose" s Tavern, White Horse ^
$4
tTINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
Leen-hall. N. J. Lyoii, etq. L.
MANCHESTER TO SNAITH,
THROUGH HUDDERSFIELD, WAKEFIELD, AND PON-
TEFRACT.
Manchester to
Newton Heath •
Failsworth • • •
HoUin wood • • •
Oldham
Green Acres Moor
Austerlands • •
Delph
Gate Head • •
Marsden • • • •
Cross the river
Coin.
Badger Gate • •
Bradley Brook • •
Black Moor Foot
Cross the river
Coin,
HUDDERSFIELD
Mold Green
Aldmonbury
Highgate Lane •
Over Shittlington
Middle Shittling-
ton
Nether Shittling-
ton
Cross the river
Calder.
Horbury • • • •
3
3
H
4i
H
H.
2
n
1^
9
H
10|
3
131
4^
18
k
181
1
191
1
201
H
22
H
241
1
251
1
261
1
271
H
291
4
331
I
331
i
341
li
36 (
Mills Brieve, the late Joseph
Radclijffe, esq.
Inns: George^ and Sevan.
WoodshulUall, Earlof Dart-
mouthy R.
Whitley-hall, R. H. Beau-
mont, esq.
Grange-hall, Sir John Lister
KayCf hart. L.
36 \Carr-lodge, J. Carr, e^q.
THE WEST RibiNG OF YORKSHIRE,
35
Wakefield • •• •
Cross the river
Calder.
Street House •
Purston Jackling
Swine Lane • • •
PONTEFRACT
45i
47i
1 37 Lupset-fiall, D. Gaskell, esq '
Thorn*S'housef James Mills,
esq.
1| 38| Inns : Strafford Arms, and
White Hart.
At Heath f J. T. Smyth, esq.,
late — Fauquire, esq.
H. Vavasour, esq. Mrs,
Sturkey.
4i 42|: At Snydal, — Terre, esq.
Aketon-house, Sir Edw.
Wynne, L. Nostel-hall,
— Williamson, esq., R.
Ackzcorth-park, Countess
Dowager of Mexhorough ;
and a seat of Captain
Surtees.
fnns : Red Lion, and Star.
Carleton-hall, James Lee,
esq. Grove-hall, W. Lee,
esq.
Darington, — Oliver, esq.
Womersley, Lord Hawke.
Stourton-house, luOrdStour-
Q\ ton.
61 Inns: Bell and Crown,
Blue Bell.
Carleton-hall, T. Stapleton,
esq.
HUDDERSFIELD TO SHEFFIELD,
THROUGH PENISTONE.
HuDDERSFIELDtO,
Cross the river
Colne
Mold Green
KnoLtingley
Snaith • • .
Aldraonbury • •
Finnay Rowley
JL
1
4-
4-
1
n
2
H
Woodshall-hall, Earl of
Dartmouth.
36
High Burton . • • •
Over Shepiey • •
Ingbirchworth • •
Cross the rive?-
Don
Penistoke . • • •
Cross the Don
river
Thurgoland • • • •
Wortlev
ITINERARY OF THE llOADS IN
Storr's-JiallfMrs.Horsfall, L.
Gunthicaite-hally — Har-
grare, esq. R.
Grinaside
Cross the Don
river.
Wadsley Bridge
5HEFFIELD
114 5
U
11
12i
16
18
2J1
Inn : IRose and Crown.
Warndiff-parkj Hon. Jus.
Stewart Worthy.
[nns : Angel, and Tontine.
INGLETON TO YORK,
THROUGH SETTLE, SKIPTON, AND TADCA5TER.
Ingleton to
Clapham • •
Gigglesvvick •
Settle
Long Preston
4
4
5i
2
n
2
9i
9|
1
m
4
i-H
At Claphaifi, J. Farrer, esq.
Astzcick, Columbus Ingleby,
esq., and Thomas Ingleby,
esq.
Lau'kland-hall, John Ingle-
by, esq. R.
The ebbing and fiozcing well.
Belle Hill, Anty. Lister, esq.
Beck-hall, Mrs. Backhouse.
TMng^cliffe-place, E. Clay-
ton, esq., L.
Stackhouse, W. Clapham,
exq., L.
Between the bridge and town,
Murshfield, Mrs. Parker,
R.
Inn : May -Pole.
Halton-place, Thos. Yorke,
esq.
THE WEST I
Hellifield Cochins 2^
Cold Conniston
Gargrave
Littleton
Skipton
Addingha,m •
Ilkley
Burley
Odey
Pool
Arthington •
Weardley • • •
Harewood • • •
CoUinghani •
Clifford Moor
Tadcaster •
Cross the Wharf
river.
Street-Houses
Driiig-Houscs
York
H
IDING or YORKSHIRE.
17
37
26i
32i
34i
38:
4H
44i
46i
49i
54
55
601;
63^
Peel James Hummerton, esq,
R.
Inn: Bai/ Horse.
Seat of John Coulthurst, esq.
Eshton-hall, Jos. Crompton,
esq.
Flashby-hallj Rev, J. Preston.
fnns: Black Horse, Kewlnn.
The Castle, Earl ofThanet.
Middleton-lodge, W. Mid-
die ton, esq.
Farnley-hall, Walt. Fazekes,
esq. L.
Arthington-hall, Thus, Ast--
ley, esq.
At Harewood, Earl of Hare-
uood.
Tims : Rose and Crown,
White Horse.
Wighill, Sir S. Chetzvynd,
hart, and Bilton-hall, late
— Plumer, esq.
Askham, John Carr, esq., L.
Middlethorpe, S. F. Barlow,
esq. R.
Bishopsthorpe, Archbishop of
York.
Inns : Black Sican, Falcon,
George, Red Lion, Ring-
rose's, White Horse, York
Tavern,
38
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
BOROUGHBRIDGE TO BAWTRY,
THROUGH WETHERBY, AB3ERF0RD AND DONCASTIR.
Boroughbridge to
Walshford • • • •
Cross the Nidd
river.
Wether BY ••
Cross the WharJ
river.
Bramham • • • •
Abberpord
Micklefield
Fairburn
Brotherton
Cross the river Aire
Ferrybridge • •
Darrington • •
Cross the Went
Went Bridge
3*
U
5 Thornville, or Allerton-park,
Lord Stourton, L.
8^ RibstoU'hall, Sir Henry
Goodricke, hart, R.
12^ilnns : Angel, Swan,Talbot. —
Wetherby Grange, B.
Thompson, esq. L.
16| Bramhani'park, W. Fox, esq.
Bramham Biggin, Lord
Headley, R
Parlington,R. 0. Gascoigne,
esq. R.
Inn : Swayi.
181
21
231
25
26i
301
Tedston'-haU, and park, {an
ancient seat of the Earl of
Huntingdon)C. Wilson,esq.
WaterFryston, R. Miln€s,esq.
By ram, Sir John Rainsden,
bart. L. — Inn : Old Fox.
Inn : Angel.
Grove-hall, William Lee,
esq. L.
At Darrington, R. OlHtr,
esq. R.
Campsal, Bacon Franks, esq.
L.; Campsmount,Mrs.Yar-
borough, L.
Summer 'house, B. Franks,
esq. R. Shelbrook-park,
Ret. — Cafor.
THE WE5T RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
RobinHood'sWell
Red House • • • -
Cross the Don
river.
DONCASTER • • • ■
Cross the Torne
river
Roffingtou Bridge,
T.G, . .
Bawtry
2
34
2
36
H
371
5
42f
4i
17
1|
51-1
39
Skellow'grange, G. Higgim,
esq., L.
Broadszvorth, Chas. Thellui'
son, esq. L.
Fniis : Angel f Sf Red Lion. —
Wheatlei/, Sir George Cooke,
bart. L.; Cusworth, W*
Wrightson, esq. R.
At Cantley, L. Childers,
esq. L.
Fingingley-parkf J. Hervei/f
esq. L.
At Shooter' s-hill, J. Hilton ^
esq. R.
At Bawtry, Visct. Galzcay,'Rt
[nn : Crown.
RIPON TO SHEFFIELD,
THROUGH RIPLEY, LEEDS, WAKEFIELD AND BARNSLEY.
RiPON to
Cross
river.
the Skell
South Stanley
Ripley
Cross the Nidd
river.
K-illenhall
Low Harrovvgate
Harrovvgate • • •
Dun Keswick •
Harewood
5i
li
5J
7f
9
Hi
lU
161
181
Studley-royal, Miss Lazo-
rence, and Hackfall, a ro-
mantic valley belonging to
the same person; and
Grant ley-pu7'k,Ld.Grant-
ley.
Inn : Red Lion.
Seats of R. Wood, esq. L. J,
Messinger, esq. R.
Inn: Star, — At Ripley,
Ripley-hall, Sir W. Ingil-
by, bart. R. Nidd-hall, F.
M. Traps, esq. L.
Inn : Obelisk.
Inn : Harewood Anns. —
At Harewood, Harewood-
house, Earl of Harewood,'^.
E 2
40
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IK
Alwoodley-gate
Moor Town • • •
Chapel AUerton
Potter Newton •
Leeds
Cross the Aire
river,
Huntfleet, T. G.
Loft-house
Newton
Wakefield
Cross the Calder
river.
Sandall
Milthorpe
2i
'21|
24
24i
26j
271
31i
34
371
38
Inn: King's Arms.
fnn: Black Bull.
At Chapel Allerton, GUd-
howCy J. Dixon, esq. L.
Inns: Golden Lion, Hotel,
King's Arms, Rose and
Crown, Talbot.
Temple- New sham, Marquis
of Hertford.
Middleton-lodge, C. Brand-
ling, esq. R.; Ledskam,
W. SmitJison, esq.; Kip'
pax'park, J. Bland, esq.;
Methley, Earl of Mex*
borough, L. ; Thorpe, Miss
Procter, R.
lnns:Straffi)rdArms,W.Hart.
Thorn* S'house, B. Gaskill,
esq. R.; Nethcrton, T.R.
Beamnont, esq. R.; The
Grange, Sir J. L. Kaye,
bart. R.; atHeath.JohnT.
Smythe, esq., andW. Sinith-
aon, esq. L.; Sharleston,
Earl of Westmoreland;
Hatfield-hull, J. Hatfield
Kaye, esq. ; Newland, Sir
Edward Smythe, bart. L.
Between Wakefield and San-
dall, Major Hewitson, L.;
Lupset-hall, D. Gaskell,
esq.
At Sandall, H. Zouch, esq.
Betzveen Sandall and New
Miller Dam, are Plead-
zeick-hall, J. Boberts. esq.;
TilE WEST RIDING 01 YORKSHIRE.
41
New Miller Dani|
Stain-cross • • • •
Cross the river
Dearn.
Old Mill Inn ••
Barnslev
Bank-top Inn • •
Worsborough • •
Woodhill
Chapel Town • •
Ecclesfield
Pitsmore ••••••
Cross the Don
river.
Sheffield • • • •
31:
H
n
H
1
H
38|
4^
44|
451
46f
48i
52
53
54i
58
59i
Kettlethorpey John Armi-
tage, esq.; and Wood-
thorpe, J. Wood, esq.
Chevet-hall, Sir Thomas
Pilkington.
Bretton-park, T. R. Beau-
mont, esq. : Woolley-
hall, Godfrey Went-
worth, esq. ; Cannon-
hall, W. S. Stanhope,
esq. R. ; New Lodge,
J.Clarke, esq. R. ; Went-
tcorth-castle,Wentzcorth
Vernon, esq. ; Ouzle-
thwaite, Wm. Ehns-
hurst, esq. R. — Inn :
White Bear.
Darnley-hall, — Newman,
esq. L.
At Worsborough, J. F.
Edmunds, esq. R.
Marmontel, — Parkin,
esq.
Page-hall, G. B. Greaves,
esq. ; Brush-house, T.
Booth, esq.; &• Grange-
hall, Baron Howard of
Effingham. — Inns: An-
gel, and Tontine,
i3
AN ITINERARY
OF ALL THE
DIRECT AND PRINCIPAL CROSS ROADS
IN THE
NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE.
BROUGH TO BOROUGHBRIDGE,
THROUGH BOV>ES AND BARNARD-CASTLE.
Brougu to
Spittle Inn • • •
Bowes
Barnard-castle
Greta-bridge <
Small ways • • <
Three Tuns
Cross the river
Swale,
Catterick-bridge
Catterick • • • •
Leeming
Londonderry • <
Royal-Oak Inn
York-gate • • • <
Kirkby-hill •••<
BOROUGHBRIDGE
8
8
5
13
'2
13
4
19
2
21
7|
28|
H
32i
U
33i
6i
40i
1
41i
2i
43|
H
48J
61
oH
1
65\
Inn : Unicorn.
Rokebj/'park, J. Bacon
Sazvrey Morrit, esq. L.
Sedbun/-Iiouse, — Thorn'
ton, esq. R.
Aske-hallj Lord Dundas;
Gilling-hally Lady Whar-
ton, R.
Brougk-hall, Sir Henry
LawsoUy bart. R.
Hornby-castle f Duke of
LeedSy R.
Leases-hall, Mrs, Ardent,
L.
New Inn.
Inn: Bell.
Inns : Crcwn, and Three
Greyhounds^
ITINERAUY, &c.
43
ASKRIGG TO BOROUGHBPJDGE,
THROUGH MASHAM.
At Askriggy in Bishops-'
dele arid Aysgarth, near
Caperhy are so7ne re-
markable falls of water.
Suainthzcaite-hall, Mrs,
Anderson.
Bolton-hall and castle^ the
Hon. Orde Pozolett,
At Leyburn, John Yarker,
esq. R.
Burton-hall, Rev. C. Wy
vill, L. At Spenni/'
thorne, W. Claytor, esq.
and Col. Strawbenzer.
Earl of Egremont.
Sioindon-park, W. Danbi/y
esq. — Inn: King'sHead.
Askrigg to
Caperby • • • <
Redmire • • • «
Wensley • • • •
Leyburn • • • •
Harnby • • • •
Spennythorne
Cross the river
Ure.
UJshaw-bridge •
Cross the river
Cover.
Cover-bridge • •
East VVhitton • •
Jervoise Abbey
Ellington
Masham
Cross the rive?
Ure.
Nosterfield • • • •
York-gate • • • •
Kirkby-hill •-.
Cross the river
Ure
BoROUGHBRiDGE 1 iO^ Inns : Crown, and Three
Greyhounds.
NORTH ALLERTON TO YORK,
THROUGH THIRSK AKD ZASINGWOLD.
Wood-end, S. Crompton,
esq.; Brawith-hally War^
cop Confett, esq.
Inn : Three Tuns.
4|
^
H
7
H
101
1
in
1
121
1
131
H
151
I
151
1
16
2
18
21
201
H
23
H
261
7
331
H
391
1
401
North Allerton to
Thornton in the
Street
51
H
Thiksk
n
H
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IK
Stockwell-green, Thirkkby, tir Thomas
T.G. ...... 2^ 11 Frankland, bart. L.
Thormanby . • • • S^ 141: Newbrough-hall, 'l.H.W.
Belai/se, esq. L.
Sessay-hall, Rev. William
Dazcner/y R.
Easingwold,
F.O. ....
Skipton
Skelton
Clifton
York «
n
1
Croicn.
26 J Inn : Horse and Groom.
Benningborough, Giles
Earl, esq. R.
Nun Mo7ickton, — Jo-
liffhf esq. R.
28
SO
31i
Inns: Black Swauy Fal-
coHf George, Red Lioriy
Ring-rose SyWhite Horse
and York Tavern.
WHITBY TO YORK,
THROUGH PICKERING AND NEW MALTON
Whitby to
Ruswarp « •
Cross the river
Esk.
Sleights
Saltersgate Inn
Pickering •••
2i
21
2
H
8|
121
^
21
Airy-hill, R. Modsom, esq.
At Ruszcarp, — Ward, esq.
Inn : Admiral Rodney.
Carr-hall, Mrs. Preston.
The Woodlands, Mrs. Yeo-
man.
At Sleights, Esk-hall, J.
Campion Coutes, esq. R. ;
Sleights-hall, Mrs. Bate-
man,L. — Inn: Red Lion.
Kingthorp, — Fothergill,
esq.
Inns: Black Swan, White
Swan.
Thornton, Rev, Mr, Gilby,
JUt
NOIITH AND CAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE. 45
Cross the river
Rye.
Old Malton • . .
New Malton
Whitwell Inn • •
Spittle-bridge Imi
Lobster Inn • • • •
York
28i
291
351
36|
40
471
At Malton Abbey, W. W.
Watson, esq.
Inns: White Horse, Talbot.
Hutton-lodge, J. Parkhurst,
esq. L.
Castle Howard y Earl of Car-
lisle, R.
On the right of Whitwell,
Wm. Slee, esq.
Howsham, Mrs. Cholmley, L.
Sand Hut ton. Rev. Mr.
Read.
At Stockton, B. Agar, esq. L.
[nns: Black Sxcdn, Falcon,
George, Red Lion, Ring^
rose's, White Horse, and
York Tavern.
GISBOROUGH TO YORK,
THROUGH STOKESLEY, THIRSK, A^'D EASIJfCWOLl^.
Gisborough to
Pinchinthorp • • • •
Newton
Ayton
Stokesley • • • •
Cross the river
Leaven.
Swainby
Arncliffe
Borrow by
Kayton
North Kilvington
South Kilvington
Thirsk
StockwTJl-green,
T,Cr. ......
3
3
1
4
2
6
i>
8
6
14
2
16
n
231
1
241
2
261
1
271
1
281
21
31
At Ai/ton, — Wilson, esf .
Kear Arncliffe, Mrs. Mau-
lever, L.
Brawithrhall, Warcop Con"
sett, esq. R.
Inn : Three Tuns.
Thirkleby, Sir Thos. Frank-
land, bart. L.
46
Thormanby
Easingwold,
P.O.
Skipton
Skelton
Clifton
York
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS IN
H
341
38^-
46i
48
50
5H
Nezvbrough'hall, T. H. W.
Belai/se, esq. L.
Sessay-ballj Rev. William
Dazcney, R.
[nns: Rose and Crown, New
Inn.
Inn: Horse and Groom.
Benningborough, Giles Earl,
esq. R.
Nun Monckton, — Joliffe,
esq. R.
[nns: Black Swan, Falcon,
George, Red Lion, Ring-
rose^s. White Horse, and
York Tavern.
SCARBOROUGH TO YORK,
THUOUCH NEW MALTOX.
Scarborough to
Falsgrave •
i
1
East Ayton,
T.G
3|
4|
Cross the
river
Derzoent.
— —
—
Hutton-bushel, the seat of
Mrs. Osbaldeston.
Wvl-f.Kam .
2
H
At Wi/keharn, Wykeham-
wyKenaiu •
abbey, R. Langley, esq. L.
Brorapton •
H
8
At Brompton, Sir G. Cay-
Sk f-Q 1 r» frrvn •
H
n
ley, bart.
Cross the
Der-
zvent river.
Yedingham-
bridge
T
01
lOl
XIHl • • •
—
*+
i^2
Scampston, William St. Quin-
tin, esq. R.
— —
—
Knapton, Thomas Hodson,
esq. R.
-_ _
—
Heslerton, J. W. Foulis, esq.
THE NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE.
47
Rilllngton • • •
Scagglethorpe,
r. G.
Norton
Cross the Der-
went river.
New Malton • •
Whitwell
Spittle-bridge Inn
Lobster Inn • • • •
York
4|
H
I7i
181
211
22
271
28|
32
391
Setteringtoyi, Sir Mark Mas-
terman Stakes, hart. R.
Langston, T. D. Norcliffr,
esq. L.
Sutton-gjuinge. Geo. Parker^
esq, L.
Welham, Rob. Bower, esq. L.
Inns: White Horse, Talbot.
On the R., Whitwell, W. She,
esq.
Howsham, Mrs. Cholmley, L.
Sand Hutton, Rev. Mr.
Read.
At Stockton, B. Agar, esq. L.
Inns: Black Swan, Falcon,
George, Red Lion, Ring-
rose's. White Horse, and
York Tavern.
YORK TO HULL,
THROUGH MARKET-WEIGHTON AND BEVERLEY.
York to
Grimston, T. G.
2|
'"2
Kexby-bridge • •
H
6i
Cross the Der-
went river.
Wilberfoss ....
H
8
Inn: Anchor.
Barnby
31
111
Moor-house.
Pocklington New
Inn
21
14
Hayton
i
141
At Hayton, Rev. B. Rud-
stone.
Skipton . •
21
in
Londesbrough-par k, Duke of
DeTonshire,
48 itixekary of the tvoads in
Market Weigh-
to n
Bishop Burton • •
Killingwold-grave
T. G.
Beverley • • • •
Dunceliill
Newlands
Hull
8i
19
27i
29i
30i
34|
S7l
2 391
[nns: Griffin Inn, Brig's
Inn.
Houghton, P. Langdale, esq.
Hotham, Hull, L.
South Cave, the seat and ex-
tensive plantations of H.
B. Barnard, esq.
Roioley, Rev. Rob. Croft.
Inn: Horse. — Near Bishop
Burton, seat of Richard
Watts, esq.
Inns; Beverley Arms, Ty-
gcr. — Pennyman-house, B.
Blades, esq.; and seats of
Rev, J. Courtney, Wil-
liam Beverley, esq., and
Henry Ellison, esq.
Hull Bank, Gen. Barton,
R.
Inns: Cross Keys, Neptune,
iSaraccn's Head,
HULL TO SPURNPOINT,
THROUGH HEDON.
Hull to
Cross the
Hull
river.
Southcoates • •
Bilton
Preston • • • •
Hedon .......
Thorn Gutnbold
Kayins^ani
H
n
H
4
3
7
1
3
3
11
-2
UH
Burton Constable, seat of F.
Constable, esq.
At Thorn Gumbold, Lady
Standidge; and Boreas-
hilt, Mrs. Sfoi'in. "
THE NORTH AND EAST MDINGS Of YORKSHIRE. 49
Ottringham
VVinestead
Pattrington ••
n
18
At Winestead, U. MaisterSf
esq.; Wines teud- hall, —
Thornton, esq.
BRIDLINGTON TO HULL,
THROUGH GREAT DRIFFIELD AKD BEVERLEY.
Bridlington to
Burton Agnes, Sir Francis
Boynton, bart. L. ; Bes-
singby, Har-rington Hudg-
son, esq. L. ; Boynton^
Sir Wm. Strickland, bart.
11.
Kilhara
Great Drif-
field • —
IluttonCransvvick
Beswick • • • •
Leacon field
Beverley
Duncehill • • •
Newlands • • •
Hull
8
13
19i
231
26
32f
35
Inn : Red Lion.
Sunder landccick, Simon Hor-
ner, esq.
Neszcick, John Grirmtonf
esq.
Inn : Hare and Hounds.
Watton-uhbey, Mrs. Bethellf
L.
Kilnwick, Thomas GriTmton,
esq. R.
Etton, Lady Legard, and H.
Grimston, esq.
Inn; Roebuck.
Inns : Beverley Arms, Tiger.
Hull Bank, Gen. Barton.
Inns: Neptune, Cross Keys,
and Saracen's Head,
50
ITINERAKY OF THE K0AD5 IN
HAWES TO PIERCEBRIDGE,
THROUGH RICHMOND AND ALDBOROUOH.
Hawes to
Bainbridge • • • •
Cross the Ure
river.
Askrigg
Wood Hall ...•
Caperby
Redmire
Halfpenny House
Cross the Swale
river.
Richmond ••
Gilling
Melsonby • • •
Aldborough
Manfield
Pierce Bridge
4
■i
1
5
If
H
n
H
n
12
5f
17i
5|
23
3
26
2
28
2
30
1|
31f
H
33
BoUon-hulL Lord Bolton.
Inns: King\ Arms, King's
Head. At Richmond, Rich'
mond Green, J. Yorkc, esq.
Aske-hall, Lord Dundas.
Scdbury-house, — Thornton^
esq. L.; Hartfoi'th-huUy
Sheldon Craddock, esq. R.
Stanwick, DukeqfNorthum-
herland.
Carlton-hall, M,Pullei/n,esq,
Inn : George.^ Cliff-hall, H.
Witham, esq.
HOWDEN TO HULL,
through south cave.
How DEN to
Belby •
East Linton
Gilberdike
Scalby • • • •
Cross the canal to
New Villafre
North Cave
n
^
H
H
n
H.
1
^
1
7i
2i
n
Hof^ ham-hall.
THE NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE. 51
South Cave
Ripplingham
Kirk Ella • •
Anlaby
Hull
<2
lU
3
14^
4|
181
1
191
H
231
Inn: Ha/f Moon. — Cave-
castle, H.B.Bamardjesq.
West Ella. Joseph St/kes, esq.
R.
Hesleuood-hallj J. R. PeasCf
esq. R.
AtAnluby a seat of J. Sykes^
esq.
Inns: Neptune, Cross Keys^
Saracen's Head, SfC,
NORTH ALLERTON TO BROUGH.
North Allerton to
Yarforth
Great Langton
Kipling • • •
Bolton • • •
Citadella •
Three Tuns
Smallways • • • •
GretaBridge,2'.G
Bowes • • •
Spittle Inn
Brough '
2
2
4
6
1
7
2^
n
H
11
H
iH
71
211
H
23|
6
29^
H
33
8
43
Langton-lodge, Mrs. Cholm*
ley, L. ; Kirkhy Fleethum,
Miss Lawrence, L.
Kipling-hallf Rob. CrotvCf
esq. L.
Aske-hall, Lord Dundas.
Gilling'hall, Lady Whar^
ton.
Sedbury-house, — Thornton,
esq.
Inn: Spread Eagle.
Rokeby-park, J. Bacon SatC'
rey Morrit, esq.R.
Inn : Unicorn.
Inns: New Inn, Swan.
WHITBY TO BRIDLINGTON,
THROUGH SCARBOROUGH.
Whitby to
Stainsacre
Flask Inn
Cloughton
If
H
7
Qi
7
15i
Hacknes$-hall, Sir J. Vanden
f2
52
Burniston • • •
SCARBOEOUGII
Osgodby
Gristhrope
Muston
Hunmanby •
ITINERARY OF THE ROADS, &c.
Grindall • • •
Bridlington
16|| Bempcie Johnstone, bartM.
20|: Inns : Blacksmith's Arms,
23
3i26i
Blue Bell, George, Old
Globe, Pyed Bull, Red
Lien, and Talbot.
If 30|: Hunmanhy-hall, Hump, Os*
I baldest on, esq.
38|: Inn : Scarborough Cattle.
YORK TO BRIDLINGTON.
York to
Gate Helmesley
Stamford Bridge
Cross the Der-
zcenf river.
Garraby Street
Fridaythorpe
Flimber
Sledmere • • • •
Rudston • • • •
Boynton • • • •
Bridlington
6
a
H
n
5
m
6
181
2
201
4
241
Hi
36
3
41
A ear Stamford'hridgCf on
R. — Darleyj €iq.
At Sledmere, Sir M. Af.
Sykes, bart.
At^ Boynton, Sir Wm.
Strickland, bart.
Inn: Scarborough Castle.
J-KD OP THE ITINERARY.
( 53)
LIST
BANKING-HOUSES IN THE WEST RIDING,
Name and Place.
Firm.
Oq whom they draw
in London.
Sarnsley
Beckett, Birks, and
Co.
Haynea and Cook.
Yarborough & Co.
Leatham, Jackson,
and Co.
Rawson, J. W. and
Co.
R. Briggs & Sons.
Dobson and Sons.
Wentworth & Co.
J. and W. Rawson.
Buckley, Roberts,
and Co.
Harrison and Co.
Field and Co.
Beckett, Blavds,
and Co.
Perfect, Hardcas-
tle, and Co.
Union Bank.
Brown and Co.
Leatham and Co.
Britains and Co.
Harrison and Co.
Coates and Co.
Walkers and Co.
Parker and Co.
Chippendale 5c Co.
Dewsbury
Glyn and Co.
Smith, Payn*, and
Co.
Goshngs and Co.
Denison and Co.
Doncaster
Halifax
Koiddersfield
Knareiborough ...
Leeds
Barclay and Co.
Jones, Lloyd, & Co.
Masterman & Co.
Wentworth & Co.
Jones, Lloyd, & Co.
Ditto.
Willis and Co.
Pontefract
Glyn and Co.
Lubbock and Co.
Nicholson and Co.
Ripon
Glyn and Co.
Willis and Co.
Esdaile and Co.
Everett and Co.
Morlands and Co.
Ripon and Nid-\
derdale /
Rotherham
Sheffield
Skipton .,
Masterman & Co.
F 5
54
LIST or BANKIKG-HOUSES.
Name and Place.
Firm,
YORK.
Messrs. Raper , Swann, Clough, Bland,
and Raper
Messrs. Godfrey,Wentworth,Went
worth, Rushvvorth, and Co,
ent-?
On whom they draw
in London.
f Sir R. C. Glyn,
j Mills, HaUfax
C and Co.
Wentworth & Co.
LIST OF BANKERS IN THE EAST RIDING.
Richmond ...
Scarborough
Malton
Malton-bank ,
Whitby
Hutton, Other, and
Co.
Lister, Moorsom,
and Co.
Woodall and Co.
Bower and Co.
Pease, Dunn, & Co
Sampson and Co.
J. and J. Sanders.
Richardson & Co.
Pole, Thornton,
and Co.
Bond and Co.
Thornton and Co.
Curries and Co.
Lubbock and Co.
Barclay and Co.
Masterman & Co.
Curtis and Co.
LIST OF BANKERS IN THE NORTH RIDING.
Beverley
Bridlington ...
Hull Old Bank
Machell and Co.
Harding &Holtby
Pease and Liddle.
Pease, Harrison,
and Co.
R. Raikes & Co.
Smith & Thomson.
Glyn and Co.
Lubbock and Co.
Jones, Lloyd, & Co.
Marryatt and Co.
Curries and Co.
Smith,Payne,&Ca,
( 55 )
TITLES CONFERRED BY THE COUNTY.
The city of York is an archbishopric, and gives the
title of Duke to the second son of the King. The
Mayor of York has the title of Lord, the same as that
of Loudon. Craven, gives the titles of Earl and Baron
to the Boyle family. Richmond, gives the title of
Duke to the Lennox family. Mulgrave, gives the same
title to the Phipps family. Skipton, that of Lord of
the Honour of Skipton to the Tuftons. Danby, the
title of Earl to the Osbornes. Yarm, the title of
Baron to the Belasyse family. Aske, gives the same
title to the Dundas family; and Loft us the same to
the Tottenhams. Bolton Castle, gives the same title
to the Orde Powlett family. All the above, except
Craven, are in the North-Riding. — Beverley, gives the
title of Earl to the Percy family. Sittington, gives the
title of Baron to the Lenox family : the above are in
the East-Riding. — Leeds gives the title of Duke to the
Osbornes: — Doncaster that of Earl to the Scott family.
Pomfret, gives the title of Earl to the Fermor family :
Sheffield that of Baron to the Baker Holroyd family.
Wentworth, gives the titles of Viscount and Baron to
the Noel family ; Kiveton the same to the Osborne
family. Rawdon, gives the same title to the Rawdon
family; and Hastings Towton the same to the Hawkes.
Wortley gives the title of Baron to the Stuarts ; and
Markenfield the same to the Nortons. Harewood,
gives the same title to the Lascelles family : Setting-
ham the same to that of the Cowers. Furnival, gives
the same title to the Howard and Talbot families:
and Gisburne Park, the same to the Lister family.
QUARTER SESSIONS.
At York City. — Jan. 14, April 14, July 14,
October 20. St. Peter's Liberty, Jan. 15, July 15,
October 21.
East Riding. — Beverley, Jan, 11, April 11, July
11, Octoberl?.
West Riding. — Wetherby, Jan. 11; Wakefield,
Jan, 13; Doncaster, Jan. 15; Pontefract, April 10 ;
66 LEARNED MEN AXD LITERATURE.
Skipton, July 10; Rotherham, July 10; Bradford,
July 14 ; Knaresborough, Leeds, and Sheffield, during
the first whole week after October 11.
North Riding. — Northallertonj Jan. 11, April 11,
July 11, October 17.
Archbishop's quarter sessions for the liberty
or Cawood, Wistow, and Otley. — Otley, Jan. 12,
April 12, July 12, Oct. 18 ; Cawood, May 17, and first
whole week after Oct. 11.
LEA.RNED MEN AND LITERATURE.
This article is so rich and extensive, that scarcely
any thing more than the mere names of some of these
celebrated characters can be given in this work. John
de Wickhfte, styled the Morning Star of the Reforma-
tion, was born in the parish of Wickliffe. Dr. John
Tillotson, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at
Sowerby, in 1630, and died in 1694. Roger Ascham,
a learned miscellaneous writer, was bom at Kirkby
Whiske, in 1515; died 1568. Dr. Richard Bentley,
an eminent critic and divine, born at Wakefield, 1662;
died in 1742. Captain James Cooke, the celebrated
navigator, born at Tvlarton in Cleveland, 1728; was
killed in the South Sea Islands in 1779. Thomas
Lord Fairfax, general of the army under Cromwell;
died in 1671, having obtained the good opinion of
Charles IL John IJarrison, inventor of the time-
keeper to ascertain the longitude at sen, was born at
Foulby, near Pontefract, in 1693; he died in the year
1776, having received a reward of 20,000/. for his dis-
covery. William Mason, an ingenious poet and divine;
died 1797. The long-lived Henry Jenkins, was born
at Bolton in this county- Dr. John Potter, a learned
prelate and antiquary of considerable celebrity, was
born at Wakefield in 1674; died 1747. Dr. Joseph
Priestley, one of the greatest philosophers the country
ever produced, was born at Field-Head, in the parish
of Birstall, in 1733, and died in America 1804. Dr.
Beilby Porteus, late Bishop of London, was a native
of this county. He was born in 1731, and died in
May 1809. Dr. Samuel Garth, a celebrated poet
NAMF, AND ANCIENT HISTORY. 57
and pliyeiciati, v%us born in this county, and died in
1719. To all these have been added the name of
CoNSTANTiNK THE Great, bom at Yorlc about the
year 274; died in 337.
The nevvspapei-s printed in the county are the York
Courant; the Chronicle; the Herald ; the Gazette, all
at York — At Leeds, the Intelligencer; the Mercury;
the Independent — At Sheffield, the Iris and the Mer-
cury — at Wakefield, the V/akefield Journal — at Don-
caster, the Doncaster Gazette— at Hull, the Hull
Packet; the Hull Advertiser; and the Rockingham.
CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS.
Yorkshire is divided into twenty-eight wapentakes,
besides the Ainsty of the city of York. The whole
county contains one city and fifty-nine market-towns,
of which thirteen are boroughs, and it sends thirty
members to parliament.
POPULATION.
This, according to the statement made in 1811, was
as follows: 188,381 inhabited houses; males, 477,728;
females, 495,380 ; total, 973,123 persons.
6ITUATI0N, BOUNDARIES, AND EXTENT OF THE
COUNTY AT LARGE.
Yorkshire is by much the largest county in England,
and one of the most interesting, wliether we consider
its mercantile opulence, or its historical importance.
It is in form a long square, containing more than three
millions of acres, and divided into three distinct
ridings, and is bounded on the north by Durham and
Westmoreland ; on the east by the German Ocean ; on
the west by Westmoreland and Lancashire ; and on the
south by Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and
Lincolnshire; extending itself in length 180 miles east
to west, and 90 miles in breadth north to south; its
circumference is 460 miles, and contains 6013 square
miles.
NAME, AND ANCIENT HISTORY.
The name of the county is derived from its city,
•which, according to Camden, was named by the Bri-
lonH; Ci^r'Kffr'OCf by the Saxons Evor-icks by ^Senni'
58 NAME, AND AKCIENT HISTORY.
US, Car-r Ebruuc, derived from tlie first founder King
Ebraucus. Camden, however, more correctly suggests
that the word Eboracum comes from the river Ure,
(now the Ouse), implying its situation on that river.
Thus the Eburovices, in France, were seated upon the
river Ure, near Eureaux in Nonnandy; the EburoneSf
in the Netherlands, near the river Ourt, in the dio-
cese of Liege, &c. Hence Eborac or Euorwic, be-
came Yore or York.
Yorkshire was included by the Romans in their di-
vision of the island, called MAXIMA CiESARlEN-
SIS, and was inhabited by the Brigantes, who ob-
tained this appellation from their being inhabitants of
the upper region. Brig signifying, in the British, a
summit, or upper situation.
After the departure of the Romans, Yorkshire
formed part of the Saxon kingdom of the Northum-
bers, and continued so until the end of the Heptarchy,
when all the states were united under Egbert.
All this part of the island suffered much from the
Danes; and after the Conquest it was divided among
some of the great Norman barons, who were sworn
to prevent the incursions of the Scots ; but the Enghsh
not relishing the Norman government, fled in great
numbers to Scotland, and assisted King Malcolm Can-
more to invade the northern borders. News of this
invasion being brought to the Conqueror, he swore
that he would extirpate them; but found it impossi-
ble, and was obliged to conclude a peace with the
Scots.
Yorkshire continued to make a considerable figure
during the civil wars between the houses of York and
Lancaster; and in the reign of Edward IV. a formi-
dable rebellion broke out in this county, which was
not suppressed but with the loss of many lives.
The last insurrection we shall mention, in which
this county in general was concerned, was that which
happened in the reign of Henry VIII. in consequence
of the dissolution of the monasteries, the loss of which
was sensibly felt by the poorer sort of people.
^AME, AND ANCIENT IlISTORy. 59
These convents had lands left for theil- support,
which were let out in small farms, and the rent taken
in corn, and such other necessaries as the land pro-
duced. By this method industry was encouraiied,
agriculture flourished, all sorts of provisions were in
great plenty, and the people, by finding employment
in the country, were not driven by distress to the ca-
pital, as in the present age.
But when these convents were dissolved, their lands
were given to court favourites, who being under the
necessity of supporting their extravagancies, let eight,
ten, and sometimes twenty of these farms to one
person, by which many families were involved in ruin.
Driven by oppression to a state of madness, above
40,000 of them took up arms, and marched to Don-
caster, committing great devastations in their way, and
insisting that the convents should be restored. They
called themselves the Holy and Blessed Pilgrims; on
one side of their banner was the figure of Christ cru-
cified, and on the other side were the figures of a cha-
lice and a host.
This formidable mob was met by the Earl of Shrews-
bury and the Duke of Norfolk; but the river Don
having overflowed its banks, they were prevented from
coming to a general engagement. In the mean time
a pardon was published for all such as would disperse,
which having in general been accepted, the greatest
part of them returned home : but those who refused
were taken and executed.
In 1639 Charles T. made his first visit to Hull, and
mel with a loyal reception : the following year his
governor was received, but resigned soon after. In
1642, the acquisition of Hull engaged the attention
of the king and parliament. It was esteemed of great
consequence, and it was the opinion of many, that if
Charles had secured it (as he had the Tower of London
and garrison of Portsmouth), being then in possession
of the keys of the kingdom, and the principal maga-
zines, he would never have been subdued; but Hotham
being soon after received a? governor from the parlia-
60 KAME, AND ANCIENT HISTORY.
jueiit, the king abandoned all hopes of it; aud on St.
George's day, the same year, the gates were closed
against him.
After- a variety of letters, memorials, and mes-
sages, between the kiag and parliament, it was block-
aded by the former; at the same time the sluices were
pulled up, and the country flooded, to annoy the
royal army, by which immense damage was done to
the inhabitants and the suburbs: various attempts to
gain the place by negotiation were made by the royal-
ists without success. On Saturday, Sept. 2, 1643,
the royal anny, under the command of William Ca-
vendisii, Duke of Newcastle, (then marquis), set down
before Hull, and invested it, and the siege was car-
ried on with various success, till the 12th of October
following (five weeks and four days), when it was
raised, after being defended with great bravery by Lord
Fairfax. In 1645, the Book of Common Prayer was
burnt in the market-place; soon after which the plague
again appeared. A perpetual garrison was now forced
upon the town, in spite of their necessities and griev-
ances, their petitions being disregarded. Andrew
Marvell, the -patriotic representati\e of this town,
lived during the reign of Charles II. A vain attempt
was made at the Revolution to secure the town for
King James II.
GENliRAL DESCRIPTION OF
THE WEST RIDING.
SITUATION, BOUNDAKIES, AND EXTENT.
This is bounded on the east by the Ainsly, and
the river Ouse; on the north by the North Riding;
on the west by Lancashire, and on tlie south by
Clieshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. The
face of the country is very irregular, but may be di-
vided into three large districts, gradually varying from
a level and marshy to a rocky and mountainous region.
The flat and marshy part of the riding lies on the
eastern side, along the banks of the Ouse, and extends
to the westward generally within three or four miles
of an imaginary line, drawn from Doncaster to Sher-
borne.
The middle part, as far to the westward as Shef-
field, Bradford, and Otley, rises gradually into hills,
and is beautifully variegated. Further to the west,
the surface becomes rugged and mountainous. Be-
yond Sheffield scarcely any thing is seen but black
moors, which running north-west, unite with the lofty
hills of Blackstone Edge, on the borders of Lanca-
shire. The western part of Craven presents a con-
fused heap of rocks and mountains, as Pennygant,
Wharnside, Ingleborough, &c. Amidst the hilly and
mountainous tracts of this riding, are many romantic
valleys, presenting the most beautiful scenery; as
Netlierdale, watered by the Nid; Wharfdale, and the
vale of the Aire. Many valleys of less extent vie
with these in picturesque beauty, and the greater part
being enclosed, well wooded, and thickly spread with
almost continuous villages, when viewed from the
rteighbouring eminences, present the resemblance of
happiness and improvement combined.
CLIMATE AND SOIL.
The climate ut" the West Riding is generaiiy mode-
62 nivEKS.
rate; but the eastern part being subject to fogs and
damps, is not esteemed so healthy. The liarvest ge-
nerally commences in the middle of August, and, ex-
cepting in backward seasons, is got in by the end of
September. In the western parts, that are upland and
hilly, the harvest is nearly a fortnight later than about
Pontefract and Doncaster ; and here is more rain than
in the eastern parts of the riding.
In the West Riding there are pasture-lands, where
grass is the chief object, and where cultivation by the
plough is considered only in a secondary light. Upon
the higher grounds there are immense tracts of waste,
generally common among the contiguous possessors,
and pastured by them with cattle and sheep, some
stinted, and some open. Adjoining manufacturing
towns, the manufacturer has his enclosures where he
keeps cows, and horses for carrying his goods to mar-
ket. From Ripley southward by Leeds, Wakefield,
and Barnsley to Rotherham, to the banks of the
Ouse, the soil is principally employed in raising corn.
The common fields are most numerous to the east-
ward of the great north road from Doncaster to Bo-
roughbridge. The moors, with some exceptions, lie
in the south-west parts of the riding, above Peniston
and Sheffield. Sheep are principally bred on them,
and a great part is common.
ROADS.
To remedy the bad roads in the West Riding, paved
foot-paths have been made upon the sides of most of
them in the manufacturing parts of the country; but
these foot-paths have been too frequently made " bri-
dle-roads," a practice only to be excused by the pecu-
liar badness of the main road,
RIVERS.
The West Riding is eminent for the nun\ber of its
great and navigable rivers. The Ouse, which takes
this name at York, being formerly called the Ure,
rises near the borders of Westmoreland, and collect-
ing many tributary streams during its course through
the beautiful dale of Wcnsley, flows for many miles
RIVERS. 65
with a very rapid current within the North Riding;
but about three miles below, it becomes the boundary
of this Riding, dividing it from the West Riding till it
arrives nt Ripon. From Ripon it takes a circuit of a
few miles into the west, but again becomes the divi-
sion between the two, and so continues as long as it
retains its name; this it loses about six miles below
Boroughbridge, at the influx of an insignificant stream
that gives to the great river Ure its own name of Ouse,
which, at last, in its turn, is lost in that of the Hum-
ber. The Ouse continues to be the boundary of the
North Riding, dividing it from the West Riding, and
tlie Ainsty of the city of York, till its arrival at York,
where it entirely quits the North Riding. The Ouse
is navigable for vessels of 120 tons as far as York,
where the spring tides rise about 20 inches, but are
spent about six miles above. The Ure is navigable
for vessels of 30 tons as far as Ripon; where, on ac-
count of the rapidity of the stream, all prospect of
navigation ceases.
The Don, or Dune, supposed to be a variation of
the British word Dun, a deep channel, rises near
Barnsley on the borders of Cheshire, passes by Shef-
field, Rotherham, Doncaster, Thorne, and falls into
the Aire at Snaitli. Tt is navigable nearly to Sheffield.
The Calder rises in Lancashire, and running east-
wardly, passes by Wakefield, and five miles below falls
into the Aire.
The Aire, or Air, a large river, issuing from the
mountain Pennygant, passes by Leeds, Pontefract, and
Snaith. By the aid of canals this river is navigable to
Leeds, Bradford, and Skipton. It pursues a long
course quite across the Riding, and at length falls into
the Don, near Snaith.
The Wharfe rises at the foot of the Craven-Hills,
and after a course of more than fifty miles across the
riding, keeping a great way at an equal distance of
ten miles from the Aire, discharges itself into the
Ouse.
The Nidd, or Nydd, rises in Maderdale Forest,
G 2
d4 canals.
near the source of the Aire, and passing Ripley, and
Knaresborough, joins the Ouse, a few miles above
York.
The Ribble rises among the mountains near Skip-
ton, and running south by Settle and Gisburn, passes
into Lancashire.
Besides these principal ones there are several rivers
of less importance,
CANALS.
Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
This canal begins out of the river Mersey, at low
water, just at the lower extremity of the town of Liver-
pool, by Bank-hall, and goes over the river Alt to
Mill-house, it then takes a large half-circle round the
town of Orraskirk, and crosses Toadbrook, nearNevr-
borough, whence it proceeds by the Douglas .Naviga-
tion to Wigan; from thence, in a circular course,
through Red Moss, by Black-rod, north for some way
parallel witli the Lancaster Canal, near Chorley, and
by Heapy to Blackburn; from whence, with a bend
round Church, it passes Burnley and Coin to Foul-
bridge, where a bridge is cut to supply the Canal, of
which it is the head. The canal here begins to fall to
Leeds, and goes from Foulbridge, by Salterford, East
Morton, and cross the river Aire, near Gargrave, by
Thorlby, Sturton, and the town of Skipton, by Bradley,
Kildwick, Silsden, near the town of Keighley, and by
Bingley ; a little below which it crosses the river Aire
again, passes Shipley, and takes a semi-circular course
round the Idle, near Apperton-bridge, Ilorsforth,
Kirkstall Abbey, by Burley and Holbeck, to the town
of Leeds, making in the whole, a course of 130 miles,
with 838 feet fall, viz. from the summit near Colne
to Leeds, forty-five miles, fall 409 feet. From the
summit there to Wigan, 50 miles, with 399 feet fall.
From thence to Liverpool, 35 miles, fall 30 feet.
There is also a collateral cut from near Shipley to
Bradford. '
The Barnshy Ccncl joins the river Calder, below
the town of Wakefield, and pa>ses Crofton, Felkirk,
CANALS. (3.>
RoystOH, and arrives at Barnsley, whence it make* tx
bend to Barnby-bridge, near the town of Cnwthorn,
the length about 14 miles. There are several rail-
ways to the canal from Barnbley, and others from
Barnby-bridge. The fall from the junction with the
Dearne and Dove Canal, is 120 feet to the river
Calder.
The Dearne and Dove Canal^ commences from tlie
cut which has been made for the accommodation of
the river Dun navigation, between Swinton and -\Iex-
brough, and proceeds by Wath, Wombwell, and Ard-
sley, to near Barnsley, there to form a junction with
the Barnsley Canal, which joins the river Calder.
There are two small branches, one parallel with Knol-
beck-brook, to the iron work at Cob-car-Ing, the
other along the head stream of the river Dove, to
Worsbrough-bridge ; with a proposed extension of this
branch near one mile and a half farther, to Rockliffe-
hridge, adjoining the grounds of Earl Stratford, at
Went worth-castle.
The whole length of this canal, from the junction
of the river Dun to Barnsley, is nine miles and a
quarter, with 125 feet rise, from the river Duu to
Barnsley. The branch to Cob-car-Ing is one n>ile
and three quarters, and is level, by n>eans of some
deep cutting at the extremity. The branch to Wors-
brough-bridge is one mile five furlongs in length.
The Stainforth and Keadby CunaL comniences at
the river Dun, about a mile to the west of Fishlake,
and runs parallel with the river opposite to Thorn ;
whence, in a line nearly i\\ii^ east, it passes Crowle
and Keadby, where it joins the river Trent. There is
a branch about a mile across Thorn's Common to- a
place called Hangman-hill, which joins the river Dun.
The total length of this canal is between fourteen and
fifteen miles, and running through a part of the fenny
country, has little elevation, and no lockage, except
out of the rivers at the extremities.
The Huddersfield Canal joins Sir John RarasHen's
Canal on the south side of Huddersfield, a»ul taking
c S
66 LEASES AND TENURES.
a westerly course, runs parallel with the river Colne,
which it crosses twice, passing Longwood, Slaithwaite,
and Marsden : from Marsden, under Pule-moss and
Brunn Top, there is a tunnel of near three miles and
a half l^ig, which brings the canal to Rasp-mill, on
the Digglewater, and within about two miles of Dub-
cross; passing which, it takes the route of the river
Tame, the windings of which it frequently intersects,
and passes within one mile of Lydgate, by Mossley,
Stayley-bridge, and joins the Ashton and Oldham
Canal on the south side of Ashton, being a course of
nineteen miles and five furlongs, with 770 feet lockage.
POPULATION.
This has been stated, according to the returns of
1811, thus: 155,264 inhabited houses ; males, 321,837;
females, 331,473; total 653,315 persons, being an in-
crease of 89,000 since the year 1801.
TARM-HOUSES AND COTTAGES.
The former are in most cases very inconveniently
situated, by being crowded into villages or townships,
and not placed on the lands the farmer has to culti-
vate; besides, the farm-house and offices should be
? laced as nearly as possible in the centre of the farm,
'he farm offices erected by Lord Hawke have been
referred to as an elegant pattern. The farm-houses
lately erected are in general good, and conveniently
situated.
COTTAGES.
There having been a great want of dwelling-houses
for husbandmen and labourers, many have boarded in
the farm-houses, particularly the unmarried men,
whilst the day-labourers have resided in the villages ;
although it is generally admitted that building cottages
contiguous to the farm-offices, would be a great con-
venience to the farmer, and of greater advantage to
the community.
LEASES AND TENURES.
A considerable part of the West Riding is possessed
by small proprietors, a respectable class of men, who
generally farm their own lands. There are likewise a
UENT, AND SIZE OF FARMS. 67
great number of large proprietors, such as the Duke
of Norfolk, Earl Fitzwilliam, &c. Few of the latter
reside upon their estates for a considerable part of the
year. The greatest part of the riding is freehold pro-
perty; the number of copyholders, or those who hold
by a copy of court-roll, is also considerable. Much
hkewise belongs to the archbishop, colleges, deans,
prebends, &c.; and the inferior clergy, in consequence
of enclosure bills, are coiistantly accumulating landed
property.
The greatest part of the land is let without lease,
or what is the same thing, the occupiers are re-
moveable at six months' warning. The real leases
are of different durations : from three to twenty-one
years; but three-fourths of the riding having been
possessed from year to year, has been thought de-
structive of all good farming.
RENT, AND SIZE OF FARMS.
The majority of farms are comparatively small,
there being few in the West Riding that would be
considered as large ones in any other part of the
kingdom. As to the rent of land, it is difficult to fix
its average, as in many places the sums payable by
the farmer to the church, the public, and the poor,
are nearly as great as the nominal rent paid to the
landlord.
A considerable part of the landed property of the
West Riding is in the hands of small freeholders; but
there is likewise a great number of large proprietors.
A great majority of farms are comparatively small,
varying in size so much, however, that it would be
difficult to fix an average. Upon the arable lamis
few exceed 300 acres. In the grass division they are
smaller still, and the occupier of 100 acres has been
called a great farmer.
ENCLOSURES.
Alniost all this riding is enclosed, except the com-
mon fields and moors ; and too much praise cannot
be given on account of the perfect state in which the
fences are kept.
1>8 <:AriL£.
WASTES.
The quantity of waste land in this riding has been
some years t^radually diminishing, yet much btiil re-
mains to be done. All waste lands ought to be di-
vided as soon as possible, so that every proprietor
might have an opportunity of improving his share in
one way or other : great part of which, according to n
very judicious writer, *' call loudly for improvement
by the plough and the spade; may the call be obeyed,
lest we fight and weave and hammer till we have not
bread to eat." From Ripley to Paitley, there is still
a great deal of waste land. There is a fine valley
called Nidderdale, watered by the Nid,but the higher
ground has been left in a state of waste; and on this
side of Grassington, a great part of the land is com-
mon, or waste.
CATTLE.
There are not many horses bred, except in the
eastern part of the riding. The size of those in the
western part is generally small; but hardy and capable
of great fatigue. In other parts of the riding they are
large, and those used in waggons are strong and well
made.
The stock of cattle may be classed under four dif-
ferent heads. There is the short-horned kind, which
principally prevail on the east side of the riding, and
are distinguished by the names of the Durham, Hol-
derness, or Dutch breeds. There is the long-horned,
or Craven breed, which are both bred and fed in the
western parts, and also brought from the neighbouring
county of Lancashire ; these are a hardy sort of cattle,
and constitutionally disposed to undergo the vicissi-
tudes of a wet and precarious climate. 1 here is
another breed, which appears to be a cross from the
two already mentioned, and esteemed the best of all.
A great number of milk cows of this sort are kept in
Nidderdale and the adjacent country, which are both
useful and handsome. They are perhaps not altoge-
ther such good milkers as tlif liolderness cow?, but
SHEEP. 69
they are much hardier, and easier maintained. They
are at the same time sooner made ready for the but-
cher, and are generally in good order and' condition,
even when milked. Besides these, there are immense
numbers of Scotch cattle brought into the country,
which after being fed for one year, and sometimes
two, are sold to the butcher. Beef of this kind always
sells higher in the market, than that of the native
breed; and from the extent of population there is a
constant demand for all that can be fed.
SHEEP.
There are so many kinds of sheep, both bred and
fed, and they have been so often crossed, that it is
not easy to describe them. The sheep bred upon the
moors in the western part of the riding, .ind which we
presume are the native breed, are horned, light in the
fore-quarter, and well made for exploring a hilly
country, where there is little to feed them but heath
and ling; these are generally called the Peniston
breed, from the name of the market-town where they
are sold. When fat they will weigh 14lb. or 151b.
per quarter. They are a hardy kind of sheep, and
good thrivers. When brought down, at a proper age,
to the pastures in the low parts of the country, they
feed as well, and are as rich mutton as need be.
There are great quantities of Scotch sheep from Te-
viotdale, &:c. fed in the country; numbers of ewes
are also brought annually from Northumberland,
which, after taking their lambs, are fed for that season,
for the butcher. Many two years old of this kind are
also fed upon turnips: and in the southern parts there
are a good many of the flat-ribbed Lincolnshire sheep,
which are ugly beyond description.
Upon the waste commons scattered up and down
the riding, the kind of sheep bred are the most mise-
rable that can be imagined. i\s they generally be-
long to poor people, and are mostly in small lots,
they never can be improved. This will apply to the
whole of the sheep kept upon the commons, that ure
not stinted; the number diat are put om, bej^ar and
70 IMPLEMENTS.
Starve the whole stock. In many parts of Ihe riding
particular attention has lately been paid to this useful
animal, by selecting rams of the best properties and
breeds.
Hogs of various breeds are kept in this riding, and
they have of late years received much improvement.
There are not many rabbit-warrens in this district,
nor indeed much soil proper for that animal. It is
only upon soft waste lands that they ought to be suf^
fered to remain, as upon cultivated land they are a
perfect nuisance.
WASTE LANDS.
Nearly one-sixth part of the West Riding is waste
land and moor; the quantity, however, is lessening
every day. There are many parts of these wastes ca-
pable of great improvement, if divided and enclosed;
but the far greater part would not repay the expence
of enclosing.
IMPLEMENTS.
Some time past the farmers in the West Riding were
very deficient in the construction and management of
their ploughsand wheel-carriages; and the same plough,
with a few trifling alterations, was used all over the
whole district; but it seems the improvements pro-
posed since that period have not been wholly disre-
garded, notwithstanding the force of custom.
CARRIAGES.
The carts, in general, are badly proportioned, being
too long in the body, and strait. They are drawn by
two, three, or four horses, and are very unhandy
about a farm. The waggons are upon both broad and
narrow wheels, and have been deemed extremely de-
structive to the roads. Very few oxen are wrought
in the West Riding, and those only upon the farms of
landed proprietors.
LOCAL PRODUCE.
Pontefract has long been famous for the cultivation
of liquorice, to the extent of 100 acres, in tlje vicinity
of the town. It is a very precarious plant, often
rotting by wetness, and hurt by sharp frosts in the
MINERAL?. 71
spring, or by dry weather afterwards. Rhubarb of
good quality has been cultivated to advantage in the
same neighbourhood, Jind promoted by the Society
for the Encouragement of Arts and Manufactures.
MINERALS.
Coals are found in great abundance in most pai-ts
of this riding; and excellent stone for building, and
various other purposes, is every where at hand, in the
hilly parts, and in the neighbourhood of Bradford
particularly.
In the parish of Leeds there is fine pipe clay, and
several quarries of an argillaceous schist, which supply
the neighbourhood, and the country down the river,
with slates and flag-stones for paving. On the north-
east border of the parish begins a bed of imperfect
granite, or moor-stone of the same kind as that on the
East Moor in Derbyshire, which runs to the Chevin,
near Otley, and constitutes the whole ridge of Ro-
mald's Moor as far as Skipton, where limestone com-
mences. On each side towards the level of the rivers
Aire and Wharfe, the argillaceous schist occurs, which
is evidently a stratum covering the granite. The
stone on the south of the Aire is entirely argillaceous
schist, as is generally the case where coal is found.
In the neighbourhood of Nidderdale there are some
considerable lead mines.
Copper, ^-c. ore of— Copper pyrites, copper, com-
bined with iron and sulphur.
Martial pyrites. Sulphur combined with iron, with
baroselenite foliated and crystallized, found in a mine,
at Beggarmans, to the north-west of Buckden.
Lead, ores of- — Galena, lead combined with sulphur,
the common blue lead oar. Lead mineralized by
oxygen, and carbonic acid, the white lead ore, crystal-
lized and compact.
There are many mines in this part of Yorkshire
which produce the above varieties of lead ore, in con-
siderable quantities, the liberties of Buckden, Star-
bottom, Kettlewell, Coniston, Grassington, Hebden,
&c. &c. ; but the white lead ore has been raised ui
72 CIVIL AND rCCLISIXSriCAL DIVISION. .
greatest quantities in the liberties of Buckden and
Grassington.
Green lead ore, phosphorated lead ores, have been
discovered in very small quantity on Grassington
Moors.
Zi7ic, ores o/^— Calamine, Lapis Calaminaris, zinc
mineralized by oxygen, with or without carbonic acid,
compact and stalactitical, raised in considerable quan-
tities in the liberties of Arnclifte, Kettlewell, and
several others in that neighbourhood ; and at Malham,
Lord Ribblesdale's liberty. There is also found. at or
near Malham, an oxyd of zinc, in form of a white
powder, some of it is rich; this has not been met with
in any other p;irt of England.
Coal — A thin bed of coal is found on Grassington
Moor, and the places in that neighbourhood.
The above-mentioned ores are accompanied in the
v^ia with baroselenite, (cank of some) calcareous
spar, or carbonate of lime and quartz, &c.
Wickersley, a village upon the turnpike road be-
tween Sheffield and Bawtry, is noted for supplying the
manufactory of Sheffield with grind-stones for all the
finer articles of cutlery.
There are fieveral mineral waters in tliis riding, of
which the most famous is the sulphurous water of
llarrowgate. There is also a chalybeate spring at the
same place, and another at Thorpe-Arch. These we
shall notice more fully i'.i the topographical part of our
work.
At Knaresborough is a remarkable petrifying spring,
called the Dropping Well ; and near Settle is a very
curious ebbing and flowing well, both of which we
shall more particularly describe in the course of our
journie^.
CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISION.
This riding k mostly divided into wapentakes, and
some detached districts. Among the foraier are,
Aybrigg, Barkston Ash, Ciaro, Ewecross, Morley,
Osgoldness, Shyrac, Staincliff, Staincross, Strattlbrth,
and Tickhill, Liberty of Cuwood, Wistow and Otley,
CLl.NfATE AND SOIL. 73
Ripon, Doncaster Soke, and Leeds Borough. — Within
these limits are twenty-nine market-towns, and five
parh'amentary boroughs, viz. Aldborough, Borough-
bridge, Knaresborough, Pontefract and Ripon. Eccle-
siastically, this riding is within the province and dio-
cese of York, and forms the Archdeaconry called
Archdeaconry of York, or West Riding, divided
into the following Deaneries : Craven, city of York
and Ainsty, Pontefract. Ripon, within the Archdea-
conry of Cleveland, is a peculiar jurisdiction.
GENERAL DESCRU'TION OF
THE NORTH RIDING.
SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AND EXTENT.
The North Riding is bounded by the county of
Durham on the norlh; the German Ocean on the north-
east; the East Hiding on the south-east; the Aihsty
of York and the West Riding on the south; and the
county of Westmoreland on the west. The extent of
the riding from east to west is eighty-three miles, and
the breadth from north to south, forty-seven, con-
taining 1,311,187 acres.
CLIMATE AND SOIL.
The climate of the coast, from its situation, is cold
and bleak; but in the vales sheltered from the wes-
terly winds and the sea air, the grain ripens well.
Cleveland is subject to a chilly and severe climate,
but the dry soil here generally liastens the harvest.
The Vale of York, or Mowbray, near the moors, is
cold; but in other parts mild and temperate. The
climate of the Howardian hills, especially at the wes-
tern end, is cold, and the corn late in ripening, but
that of the eastern end is milder. Rydale, and the
east and west marshes, have a mild climate. The
great altitude of the eastern moorlands renders the
air cold and bleak; iience crops are often in the
field when it is covered with snow. The western
moorlands are much more liable to rain, and not be-
ing exposed to the sea air, the snow lies much longer
on them ; but the general character of the climate of
the North Riding, resembling all the counties border-
ing on the German Ocean, is that of dryness througli-
out the year, and of peculiar coldness during the first
half of it. Frosts sometimes occur in this riding, even
RIVERS AND CANALS. 75
in June, and vegetation generally lingers in its pro-
gress till that month has advanced. The soils of the
coast are various.
The level land near the Tees, consists of a rich gra-
velly loam upon the high ground; on the west side of
the road from Catterick to Piersebridge, it is for the
most part strong, and generally fertile; but in some
places cold and spongy; some fine hazel loam is also
to be met with. Other soils are gravelly and of clayey
loam. The dales that intersect the western moorlands
are very rich and fertile, as is likewise Rydale, but
Wensley-dale may be ranked among the first both in
extent and fertility. The same may be said of the
productiveness of the smaller dales, which are very
numerous.
The district described by the term coast, compre-
hends the cultivated lands lying between the eastern
moors and the ocean. It is hilly and bold, and frona
its situation cold and bleak; but in some of the vales,
which are sheltered both from the westerly winds and
the sea air, corn ripens well. The cliff of the coast
is generally from 50 to 150 feet high ; the foot of
which is in some parts always washed by the sea, and
in all parts at high tides; from this cliff the country
rises very rapidly, in the space of from half a mile to
a mile, to the height of 300 or 400 feet.
RIVERS AND CANALS.
The North Riding, considering its magnitude, has
no great extent of navigable waters, though the rivers
and streams (provincially called becks) are very nu-
merous. The principal of the first is the Ure, rising
near the bordersof Westmoreland, and running through
Wensley-dale, collects many tributary streams in its
way, and runs with a rapid current many miles.
About three miles below Masham it becomes a boun-
dary between this and the West Riding, till it arrives
at Ripon. It loses its name about six miles below
Boroughbridge, and is now called the Ouse: the lat-
ter runs to York, where it entirely quits the North
Riding. The Ouse is naviiiable for vessels of ISO tons
H 2
76 RIVERS AKD CANALS,
as far as York, where the spring tides would rise about
twenty inches, if not obstructed by the locks about
four miles below, and would be spent about six miles
above. The Ure, with the aid of a short canal, is
navigable for vessels of about 30 tons as far as Ripon.
The Tees divides this riding from the county of Dur-
liam during its whole extent, and is navigable for
vessels of 80 tons from the ocean to Yarm, where the
spring tide rises seven feet.
The Derwent rises in the eastern moorlands, and
takes a southerly direction, parallel to the coast, till
it comes to the foot of the Wolds, when it alters its
direction more than once to Malton, to which it is
navigable from the Humber, for vessels of twenty-five
tons. It is the boundary between the North and East
Riding, till it arrives near Stamford-bridge. The Foss,
a small stream rising near the western end of the How-
ardian hills, unites with the Ouse at York. The na-
vigable cut from York to Stillington will be the only
one of the kind that penetrates the North Riding. —
The Swale, the Esk, and the Rye, rise and flow for
their whole course within the North Riding; but, like
all other streams having their sources in mountainous
countries, they are sliallow, rapid, and liable to sud-
den and frequent floods, the "Wiske alone excepted.
The Cover, the Greta, the Leven, the Rical, the
Dove, the Seven, the Costa, and several other streams
in this riding, only serve the purpose of turning a
few mills. The Rye, the Rical, the Hodge-beck, the
Dove, the Seven, and the Pickering-beck, are all in-
gulphed during their passage through the narrow range
of limestone hills that skirt the southern side of the
eastern moorlands, and again emerge at their foot on
the northern margin of Rydale, after having been
lost for the space of nearly a mile and a half.
Nature, in fine, has afforded the North Riding na-
vigable water on half of its circumference at least:
the Derwent and Ouse, from Malton, by York, to
Ripon, on the south; the Tees to Yarm, on the north;
and on the sea to the east. Navigation has in one
ROADS. 77
instance been assisted by art, in the canal made from
York to Stillington, a distance of about 14 miles. An-
other canal lias been proposed to pass down the \'^ale
of York, and join the Tees and Ouse, as a work of
great utility.
ROADS.
Much has lately been done to the roads, particu-
larly on that from York to Malton, by lowering tlie
hills, straightening, and widening, and building bridges.
The pains taken in scraping the roads, causing them
to dry more quickly, not only renders them more plea-
sant to travellers, but also lessens the draught of the
carriages. The roads in this riding are ahnost wholly
repaired by statute duty.
BRIDGES.
Perhaps in no district in the kingdom, of equal ex-
tent, are the bridges, commonly called county bridges,
more numerous, or better attended to. They were
upwards of twenty years under the care of John Carr,
esq. the celebrated architect of York. The number
of these bridges is about 130, many of them of large
extent, and erected in dangerous situations, and they
are generally marked with the initials of the riding,
(Y.N.R.)
FARM-HOUSES AND COTTAGES.
As the greater proportion of this riding is possessed
either by noblemen or gentlemen of upwards of 500/.
per annum, there is of course a considerable number
of elegant mansions belonging to both classes. The
houses of those in Cleveland, on the borders of Leemiiig-
lane, and thence to the Swale, are better than in many
parts of the riding; as in other parts, a farm-house from
100/. to 200/. a-year, consists only of a parlour, which
has a bed in it, a room called a house, (which is
the living room), and a back kitchen on the ground
floor, and some very ordinary chambers open to the
roof, that is generally thatched with rye or wheat straw.
The farm-houses, those in the dales of the moorlands
excepted, are too often situated in villages; but in
these dales they are generally constructed of stone,
u 3
78 FARM-HOUSES AND COTTAGES.
and situated upon the farms. The western dales are
remarkable for their hay barns, placed in the centre
of every third or fourth field ; those barns have always
a cow-house at one end, and often at both, where
their cattle are wintered ; by this means the hay and
manure are not carried any great distance; a matter
of importance in these hilly countries. The barn too
is of particular use during hay harvest, in a country
where the weather is attended with sudden, frequent,
and violent showers. — The farm-houses of a recent
date are great improvements of the old ones, though
the tenant usually stands to all common repairs.
COTTAGES.
The cottages of the labourers are generally small
and low, consisting for the most part of only one room
or two, both levef with the ground. In this riding
the farmer is by no means well accommodated; but the
labourer is much worse. Several dwellings have of
late been built in different parts of the riding, with
every proper convenience, which having small gardens
and the enclosures provinciidly called gaths, have con-
tributed much to the comfort and health of the fami-
lies occupying them.
RENT.
An instance of the rents being paid in any other
manner tljan money only, occurs on some large estates,
where loon days are performed by the tenants, which
are usually for the purpose of carrying coals and other
articles to the mansion of their landlord: these are
generally proportioned to the size of the farms, and do
not amount to more than the use of a team for one or
two days in a year. The average rent of farms of
pretty good soil, is from 15 to 21 shillings per acre.
Near large towns small parcels of land have been let
at 3/. or 4/. per acre.
TENURES.
The tenure of the country is freehold, with some
few instances of copyhold property, and some of lease-
hold for 1000, or other long term of years; and some
instances of leases for three lives, renewable at the
TITHES. r9
fall of every life: the latter, chieily held under the
church or other corporate bodies, are scldojn occu-
pied by the lessee, who generally leases the whole es-
tate at the place, but are farmed out again by him to
others,
TITHES.
The greatest part of this riding is subject to tithes
in kind, both rectorial and vicarial, but in many pa-
rishes they are compounded for^ especially the latter;
this mode of provision, fortunately for the clergy and.
public, is annually declining by means of the enclo-
sure acts; wliile tithes in lay hands are becoming gra-
dually extinct, by purchases made of the lay impro-
priator by the owner of the soil. To the credit of
the tithe owiiers of this riding in general, a rigid mode
of exacting them has not been the subject of com-
plaint.
FENCES.
In the best parts of the North Riding few open or
common fields now remain, the moors and moun-
tainous parts excepted. White-thorn, proviocially
called quick-wood, constitutes the most common
fence, and is planted when about three years old; in
low wet situations crab makes the best fence ; but
the modes of hedging and ditching are various. The
gates in most general use, are those of five bars. In
the low grounds adjoining the river Derwent, where
drains are wanted, two ditches, each eight feet wide
and sixteen . feet asunder, are made, and the soil
thrown on the intermediate space, which is planted
with bitter willow on each side, and alder and birch
in the middle. In the dales of both the moorlands,
stone walls without mortar are the prevaihng fence.
In the neighbourhood of York hollies have been ob-
served planted in a rechning position along the line
of the hedge, with their tops just above the ground.
IMPLEMENTS.
The plough commonly called the Rotherham, or
Dutch plough (their constructions being nearly the
same), is generally used, and is allowed to be the best
80 IMPLEMENTS.
plough in use for all land; for though it is of the most
simple construction, yet it effectually performs its
work. Proud's trenching or double plough is used by
some, and answers well. The first share pares up the
sod, and the other turns over the mould upon it.
This plough is likely to be very serviceable if used
with judgment. The depth and quality of the soil
forms the criterion of using it. This plough may be
set to difterent depths. It is requisite to plough up
fresh earth, but the skill of the ploughman depends
on his not ploughing too deep. The drill is very
little used, nor does chat use increase. Proud's drill
is the most in use for sowing turnips; it delivers the
seed regularly, and may be fixed to any plough.
Almost every sort of harrow or roller is to be found
here, the lighter ones generally on the Wolds.
The waggons in the greatest part of the district are
drawn by two or four horses. They are generally
heavy, with low fore wheels that lock under the body.
The breast-spade, used in draining, is found very
useful ; it is driven forward by a man in the same
manner as the paring spade, and is not much unlike
a common hay spade, turned up on both sides ; it
takes out an entire sod, and is very useful in cleaning
out furrows, and cutting small grips or top-drains in
flat lands.
A considerable number of oxen are used, mostly in
yokes, and for carriages, in the farms ; very few for
the plough, as they are deemed too slow for that pur-
pose, and in warm weather cannot stand, with suffi-
cient ease to themselves, that continued labour for so
long a time which the plough requires.
Threshing-mills and vvinnowing-machines have long
been introduced. The Dutch plough is generally used,
as are also the turn-wrist plough, with a few gripping
ploughs for gripping the furrows of grass land; but
the breast gripping-spade is much preferable to the
last instrument. Drills are not general, though
several are used in the northern part of the Vale of
York; and here a drag on an excellent principle, called
CATTLE. 81
the " quick ing drag," has been adopted ; as is also a
stubble-rake di-awn by a horse. In several parts a
hay-sweep is used for readily collecting the hay to-
gether when raked into rows and intended to be
stacked in the field. This is used with two horses,
and the hay is thus got together in much less time
than with a carriage.
CATTLE.
The breed of cattle throughout the Noith Riding
is the short-horned, except towards its western ex-
tremity, where some small long-horned cattle are to
be met with, and also a mixed breed between the
two.
The short-horned cattle of the northern part of the
Vale of York, and of Cleveland, where also consider-
able numbers are bred, are known by the name of the
Tees-water breed; and in the south of England by
that of the Holderuess cattle, from the district of that
name in the East Riding where this breed was either
originally established, or first so improved as to bring
it into notice, and where, within the district now
under sur\'ey, the best of the breed are still to be met
with. This district is supposed to produce the largest
cattle in the kingdom ; and several proprietors of
stocks have of late years, at considerable expence,
attentively improved them, encouraged thereto by the
great prices given for cattle of this breed.
The cattle of the improved breed are very large and
handsome; their colour hght red, or black blotches,
distinctly marked on a white ground ; their backs
level; throats clean; necks fine; carcass full and
round ; quarters long ; hips and rumps even and wide;
they stand rather high on their legs; handle very
kindly; are light in the bone in proportion to their
size, and hare a very fine coat and thin hide.
Very few oxen in the northern part of the vale,
and Cleveland, are used for the purposes of the
draught.
In the southern part of the Vale of York, breeding
of cattle is not so much attended to as it is in the
82 CATTLE.
northern part, the object of cattle tl^ere being for the
dairy.
The cattle of the western moorlands are small ; in
the lower parts of the dales they are generally of the
short-horned kind ; but in the higher situations near
the moors, and on the borders of the West Hiding and
Westmoreland, the long-horned breed prevails.
In the eastern moorlands, and the coast, a great
number of very good cattle are bred. They are not
quite so large as those near Tees, but are clean and
fine in the bone, and very free feeders. Great num-
bers of the oxen are worked until six or seven years
old, and then they are sold chiefly to the graziers of
the south of Yorkshire and of Lincolnshire, by whom
they are preferred to every other breed.
In Rydale, with the Marishes, and the Howardian
liills, many cattle are bred, and a considerable atten-
tion is- paid to their improvement by several spirited
individuals; and here, next after the banks of the
Tees, the best of the short-horned cattle bred in the
riding are to be met with ; the breed formerly was
crossed with bulls from Holderness, but since the
Tees-water bulls have taken the lead, they have been
chiefly resorted to for improvement.
The breed of Rydale is generally very large, with
great bone, as it does not feed quite so quick as the
Tees-water, to remedy which the Sussex breed has
been used for a cross by two farmers of the dale,
SHEEP.
The sheep of the old stock of the northern part of
the Vale of York, and of Cleveland, are very large,
coarse boned, slow feeders, and the wool dry and
harsh; they feed to from 30 to 40 pounds per quarter,
at three years old ; and a few have been fed above
that weight, and produce 10 or 11 pounds of wool
each ; but of late years the stocks of very many of the
breeders have undergone a great change, and been
much improved by the use of rams of the Dishley
breed.
This improvement in the breed of sheep, extends
SHEEP. 83
betwixt the Swale and western moorlands, as far south
as the West Rid ing; but it is not yet so general in
the southern part of the vale as the northern.
The sheep of Rydale, the Marishef, and the How-
ardian hills, possess much of the Lincolnshire blood;
the original breed of the dale having been improved
by that cross. These sheep have been much improved
by the introduction of the Dishley blood.
The improved breed is about the same size, but
produces rather more wool than that of the Vale of
York.
The sheep which are bred upon the moors of the
western moorlands are horned, have grey faces and
legs, and many of them a black spot on the back of
the neck, and vvool rather coarse and open.
HORSES,
Yorkshire has long been famous for its breed of
horses, and particularly this riding, in almost every
part of which considerable numbers are still bred ;
the prevailing species are those adapted to the coach
and saddle.
In the northern part of the Vale of York the breed
has got too light in bone for the use of fiirmers, by the
introduction of too much of the racing blood ; but the
most valuable horses for the saddle, and some coach
horses, are there bred.
In Cleveland, the horses are fuller of bone than
those last described ; they are clean, well made, very
strong and active, and are extremely well adapted to
the coach and the plough.
In the southern part of the Vale of York, the
Howardian hills, Rydale, and the Marshes, a greater
mixture prevails, both of the black and the racing
blood, than in Cleveland; nevertheless, those districts
produce a very considerable number of both coach
and saddle horses; but want of attention or judgment,
or both, in the owners of mares, in not suiting them
with proper stallions, evidently injures the breed.
The dales of the eastern moorlands, and the coast,
^rear many^ horses, which are rather of a smaller breed
84 HORSES.
than those before described ; but are a hardy useful
race, thougli generally too low for the coach.
Horses constitute a great part of the stock of the
high parts of the western moorlands; the farmers
there generally keep a few Scotch Galloways, which
they put to stallions of the country, and produce an
hardy and very strong race, in proportion to their
size.
Exclusive of the above, the North Riding produces
a considerable quantity of timber in the hedge-rows,
particularly in the Vale of York, the Howardian hills,
and Rydale ; though in them, as well as the wood-
lands, not so much as formerly. The spontaneous
production of the woodlands is principally oak, ash,
or the broad-leaved or witch elm ; the produce of the
mountains, birch and alder ; and of the hedge-rows
and cultivated places various other trees, tlie conse-
quence of improvement and art.
MINERALS.
The coast and Cleveland, abound in all their hills
with inexhaustible beds of alum strata. The eastern
moorlands also produce alum, and some seams of coal
are worked in different parts of these moors, but they
are of an ordinary quality. Several of the dales con-
tain great quantities of the iron stone; but Ayton is
the only place where any iron is now forged. The
coal in the Vale of York is found very useful in making
of lime. Veins of copper are supposed to be scattered
about in several parts of the western moorlands and
their vicinity ; here are also several lead-mines. Free-
stone or gritstone is found in several parts of the
riding near Richmond ; at Renton, and in the neigh-
bourhood of Whitby; nor is limestone less abundant.
Various kinds of slate are also found, with divers kinds
of marble, with blocks of light red granite. Marl
also is met with in several parts, and gypsum on each
side of the river Swale, about Thornton bridge.
WEIGHTS A^D MEASURES.
In the North Riding there is a considerable variety,
%vhich also vary from those in adjoining districts; in
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 85
the northern part of the North Riding, the customary
bushel exceeds that of Winchester by two quarts; that
of some individuals is still larger, about ten per cent,
more than the statute requires. A stone of wool ia
York market is sixteen pounds, and four ounces in
each stone are allowed for the draught of each fleece.
At Ripon market, a stone of wool is sixteen pounds
twelve ounces. A stone of wool in the western moor-
lands is seventeen pounds and a half; at Darlington,
it is eighteen pounds. In the eastern moorlands, the
weights used by individuals vary up to nineteen
pounds in the stone, and the pound of butter in the
riding varies from sixteen to tuenty-four ounces. A
stone of any other commodity in the riding is fourteen
pounds.
CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS.
The North Riding is divided into twelve wapen-
takes, comprising nineteen market-towns, of which
five are boroughs, each of them sending two members
to parliament, viz. AUertonshire, Birdforth, Bulmer,
Gilling East, Gilling West, Halekeld, Hang East,
Hang West, Lanbarugh, Pickering, Lythe, Rydale,
Whitby Strand. The East Riding is divided into four
wapentakes. All the ridings are in the province and
diocese of York, except a small part which belongs to
the bishopric of Chester.
GENERAL DESCRH'TION OF
THE EAST RIDING.
SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AND EXTENT.
The East Riding is the least of the three grand
Hivisions of Yorkshire. It is bounded on the north
und west by the rivers Harford and Derwent, that
separate it from the North Biding as far as the vi-
cinity of Stamford-bridge. About a mile above this,
an irregular line commences from the Derwent to the
Ouse, and joining the latter river about a mile beiow
York, forms the rest of the boundary between the two
ridings. From that place the East Riding is bounded
on the west and south-west by the Ouse, which di-
vides it from the West Riding. On the soutU it is
bounded by the Humber; and on the east by the
German Ocean. It contains 819,200 acres.
CLIMATE AND SOIL.
The climate of the Wolds is severe and variable;
the winds, as they sweep over this plain and unbroken
surface, being extremely violent and penetrating. The
north and east winds in spring generally continue with
little intermission throughout the whole of March,
April, and May, and occasionally longer, retarding all
vegetation, and dwarfing the trees and hedges. Still
the Wolds are extremely healthy, and the most grain
is produced in the driest summers : but where the
crops are exposed to the sea-fogs they are usually
small, and the grain thick-skinned and coarse. Holder-
ness has a fertile soil, and Howdenshire, with Ouse and
Derwent, enjoy an earlier vegetation in proportion to
the soil, than the clay lands; whilst the Vale of Der-
went, from itsvariety of soil, is proportionately various
in its climate.
The soil of the Wolds is, with little variation, a ligKt
friable calcareous loam, in some parts mixed with
flints and pebbles ; that of Holdnerness varies f; ~i a
CLIMATE AND SOIL. 87
fertile cla37ey loam to a stiff cold retentive clay. The
peculiarity of the circumstances and situation of Sunk
Island, give it a claim to particular notice. Its name
is probably obtained from seamen, when it first began
to show itself a short time prior to the year 1667.
That part which was first embanked, was originally
about two miles from the shore, and many persons are
living, who. recollect vessels passing between it and
the main land, to which it is now united by a bridge
across a narrow channel, serving as a drain to the
adjacent country. It contains at present within the
banks, about 4,700 acres, and twenty-four families,
and is continually increasing in size, an extensive tract
having been recently embanked, with a probability of
its being still further enlarged. Several villages and
liamlets, Mr. Strickland further observes, have at
different periods been washed away by the sea, viz.
Auburn, Hartburn, Hornsea, Burton Beck, and Ra-
venser, or Ravenspur; the latter celebrated as having -
been the landing-place of two of our kings. — Buttevant
in Mare, is only known by tradition, but probably
others lost at more distant periods are totally for-
gotten.
POPULATION OF THE EAST HIDING.
Inhabited houses, 30,3'11; males, 81,205; females,
86,148; in all, 167,353 persons; having increased
since the year 1801, 27,920.
•RIVERS AND CANALS.
The Derwent is navigable for vessels of 70 tons and
under, from its junction with the Ouse, up to Malton,
and its extension as far as Yedingham-bridge, nine
miles further (by land), will be of very great service.
The Ouse, from York to its junction with the Trent,
where it takes the name of Humber, is a smooth flow-
ing river, and conveys vessels of 150 tons, as high as
York. The natural flow of the tide ceases about ten
miles above that city. The Humber, from its width and
depth of water, is capable of admitting vessels of any
burthen, up to Hull. The river Hull, which flows near
Beverley, and by means of a canal, communicates with
i2
88 RIVERS AND CANALS.
that town, passes through the centre of the clay-land
district, is navigable up to Frodingham-bridge, whence
a canal carries forward the navigation to Driffield,
twenty-five miles from Kingston upon Hull. Another
canal extends eastward from the river Hull to Leven,
about three miles distant. Market-Weighton and
Hedon, have likewise each the advantage of a canal
from the Humber, so that no part of the East Hiding
(as measured on the map), is ten miles distant from
water-carriage. Exclusive of these navigable waters,
many smaller streams and numberless rivulets, add to
the comfort and ornament of the country. The Harford,
a small river rising near the sea, at Filey, waters the
northern part of the Vale of Derwent. The Foulness
flows through the centre of the sand lands, and the
Wolds are on all sides well watered with springs.
The only stream which runs for any extent through
the Wolds, is called the " The Gipsies/' rising at
Wharham-le-street, and falling into the sea at Brid-
lington-Quay. In the lordship of Bempton, a stream
of considerable magnitude discharges itself at all times
into the sea at the foot of the cliffs. This stream is
very little known, as it can only be approached along
the beach at a certain time of the tide, in very calm
weather; nor is the approach from the sea much more
easy in consequence of the heavy surf almost con-
tantly breaking against the foot of these lofty cliffs.
The numerous brooks at the eastern foot of the Wolds
is well known to anglers, under the general name of
tlie Driffield Waters, which, with the river Hull,
abound with trout of peculiar excellence and large
size. The Cars too, in the low tract of country on
each side the Hull, though greatly reduced in size and
number, produce variety of pike, perch, eels, tench,
turhot, roach, rudd and bream. The great decoys
for water-fowl at Meux Aram, and Watton, are now
laid dry, and the fish are in a great measure destroyed
by the lately made drainages.
Formerly there were extensive meres and cars in
Wallingfen, and Spalding Moor; but these being
ROADS— FENCES. 89
drained within the last sixty years, the country is now
cultivated as far as it will admit. Hornsea Mercj in
Holderness, is the largest in this part of England,
being about two miles long, and about three quarters
broad in the widest part, and contains about 600 acres.
Not being above a third of a mile distant from the
coast, and so much on a level with the high tide, in
lieavy gales ©f wind, the salt water driven up the
outlet has sometimes entered the lake, and proved
destructive to the fish in the lower part of it. This
lake is interspersed with several wooded islands, and
animated with water-fowl. It produces only pike,
eels, perch and roach; but the pike have for a long
time proved the most numerous.
IIOADS.
Nearly the whole of the roads in this riding are
entirely maintained by the townships through which
they pass, there not being more than 140 miles of
turnpike road in the whole riding. In the Wolds of
this part they are excessively bad ; but in all cases
the materials bear the blame. In Holderness the roads
are repaired with gravel alone, spread upon the clay,
so that in summer few countries can boast of finer
highways, but in wet weather, the clay retaining water,
the gravel is cut through and broken up; but though
Howdenshire labours under the same inconvenience in
materials, the roads are kept in a better condition.
In other parts of the riding the roads are variously
good or bad, according to the materials with which
they are repaired. The general turnpike and highway
acts of the late reign require to be revised and
amended.
FENCES.
Very few old fences are to be met with in the greater
part of this riding, the enclosures having been made
within the space of the last fifty years. The rails in
these are three inches square, and are put into the
post with an angle upward ; and in this manner they
last more than double the time of a flat rail. " Deuces
and trays/' are so called from their being two long thin
z3
90 RENT, AND SIZE OF FARMS.
rails and an upright strengthening post in the middle,
which, with the two posts at the end, form the tray;
this is generally called guard-fencing. The gates in
common are very various in their form; but hanging
them properly is too little understood.
TARM-HOUSES AND COTTAGES.
The houses of the country are generally good, ex-
cept upon the Wolds, where materials are so indiffe-
rent. The old buildings here are composed of chalk-
stone, with mud, instead of lime-mortar, and are
covered with thatch ; but those of later date here, and
in all other parts of the riding, are substantially built
of brick, and covered with pan tiles. Sashed win-
dows are now not unfrequent in farm-houses; but
these are not so well adapted for economy and dura-
tion as the casement. Some of the new farm-houses
are too large, but of Gothecised farm-houses, or
castellated cottages, there are but few.
The cottages here are more comfortable than in
"many other parts of England, as they generally consist
of two lower rooms with two bed-rooms over them.
On the Wolds they ai'e almost universally built of
chalk, and thatched; but in the low countries sur-
rounding them, they are generally built of bricks or
mud, and tiled. Many of the cottages in this riding
have land allotted them for keepmg cows; but from
the quantity of ground required by the common mode
of management, it is to be regretted that too many
persons in most of the villages are deprived of this
indulgence, so essential to health and comfort.
RENT, AND SIZE OF FARMS. -
On the Wolds many are to be found from QOl. to
50^. per annum : a farm of about 200/. per annum is,
however, of a respectable size, and such are the gene-
rality. Of rents, some instances occur of 1000/. and
one or two 1200/. per annum ; in Holderness and t^e
other surrounding districts there are few very small
farms, and still fewer of the great amount just stated ;
perhaps the average rent of the whole may be 80O/;
a year.
LEASES — TENURES — TITHBS. 91
The better sort of land upon the Wolds, may be
worth 20s. per acre or upwards; and in the low coun-
tries it is worth from 12s. to 30s. per acre. Near
York and Hull, considerable tracts have been let in
small parcels at 61. or 7/. per acre, for gardens, &c.
LEASES.
The occupation of farms upon lease for a term of
years, in the East Riding, is of very rare occurrence,
so much so, that scarcely a considerable estate, or a
farm of much magnitude, could be recollected as held
under that condition, unless attended by some suspi-
cious circumstances, where something incorrect was
aimed at, or some advantage intended to be given or
taken. So many inconveniences, however, had been
found resulting from letting farms merely by verbal
agreement, that it has since become usual on most
estates to draw up a Legal Agreement, by which both
parties bind themselves to the fulfilment of certain
clauses.
TENURES.
These, with very few exceptions, are freehold;
those belonging to the church, or other corporate
bodies, are usually let out upon lease for three hves,
renewable on the fall of each, at the rate of a year
and a half, or a year and three quarters improved rent;
and the lessees commonly let them to the occupiers
by the year, according to the usual tenure of the
country. Copyhold tenures, heretofore very frequent,
have been for some years gradually diminishing.
TITHES.
The right of taking tithes in kind has of late been
greatly abridged in this riding, in consequence of the
sale of them by the lay impropriators, and by acts of
enclosure ; and the practice of taking them does not
usually occur; though in some places a corn-rent has
been given in lieu of tithe ; and this, notwithstanding
some objections to it, has generally been thought the
best mode. Some parishes still continue to pay only
the thirtieth sheaf to the Vicar; a provision, it seems,
that cannot be altered for the better.
92 IMPLEMENTS— CATTLE.
IMPLEMENTS.
In the southern and western part of tliis district,
the llotherham, or swing-plough, is in general use,
and which, when well made, does its work more per-
fectly, and with greater ease both to the man and
horses, than any other. On the Wolds the old
fashioned foot-plough has continued too much in use,
being a clumsy, heavy, ill-formed implement. In the
Vale of Derwent, the gripping, or surface-draining
plough, is much used, and some machines for cutting
Swedish turnips. The pease-hook and the bean-hook
are peculiar to this riding, and are made of old scythe
blades. The hoe, and the moulding-sledge, parti-
cularly the latter, as used here, are excellent in their
kind. Another tool for the use of the lime-burner,
answers the double purpose of the rake and shovel.
The threshing machine used here, is constructed upon
the same principle as those in Scotland.
CATTLE.
The Holderness, or short-horned cattle, remarkable
for their large size and abundant supply of milk, pre-
vail universally through this district. This breed is
distinctly marked, being variously blotched with large
patches of deep red, or clear black; or, with a dun,
or mouse colour, on a clear white ground : they are
never brindled, or mixed, and rarely of one uniform
colour.
The South-Down breed of sheep, introduced upon
the Wolds some years since, has gradually extended
itself, being a species admirably calculated for bleak
and bare situations, where they have to travel far for
a supply of food, and where the bite is short.
The Yorkshire bay horses are naturally stout, hardy,
and compact animals, and at the same time clean-
limbed ; but for want of care the breed has degenerated.
A great number of cattle and horses are bred in
almost every part of the riding, and in course are of
great importance. The oxen, when at a proper age
and fatted, weigh, when killed, from 60 to 110 stone;
WASTES — MINERALS. 93
COWS weigh Irom 40 to 60 stone ; the average of oxen
weighs 70, of cows 48 stone.
CARRIAGES.
The waggons generally used here are high, narrow,
and long; but the mode of yoking them peculiar to
this district, is worthy of imitation. The four horses
are yoked two abreast, in the same manner as they
are put to a coach, two drawing by the splinter bar,
and two drawing by the pole; those at the wheel draw-
ing also by a swinging bar. The driver then being
mounted on the near side wheeled horse, directs the
two leaders by a rein fixed to the outside of each of
their bridles, thejr being coupled together by a strap,
passing from the inside of each of their bridles to the
collar of the other horse. In this manner, when
empty, they trot along the roads with safety and ex-
pedition, and when loaded, the horses being conve-
niently placed abreast, perform their labour with much
greater ease than when placed at length.
WASTES.
The waste lands of the East Riding, properly so
called, are of small extent, and so incapable of im-
proving, that no useful information can be given under
this head. Some fruitless efforts have been made
under acts of enclosure, to cultivate weak and barren
tracts, and the land has again been abandoned. Some
plantations, however, have been made with a better
prospect of success; and this appears to be the only
method of deriving profit from such soils.
MINERALS.
Near Norton, Westow, and a few other places, is
found a strong hard limestone, abounding with shells,
applicable only to the coarsest purposes of building.
Among the chalk of which the Wolds mostly consist,
a light grey flint is found, differing in figure and in its
more material properties from other flints, as contain-
ing too much calcareous matter to be useful in the
potteries, wliich are supplied by flints collected on the
south coasts of England; and after passing up the
Humber, conveyed by the rivers and canals to Staf-
94 CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS.
fordsliire ami elsewhere. Mtirl and gypsum are also
found within the limits of this riding.
WEIGHTS A^D MEASURES.
The customary bushel used here is considerably
larger than the Winchester, and the corn merchants
invariably buy by the former and sell by the latter.
In the Malton market, where much corn from the
East Riding is sold, it is customary to sell oats by
weight, 24 stone of 14 lbs., being considered equal to
a quarter of eight customary bushels. The coal mea-
sure varies at almost every part between Newcastle
and London, gradually diminishing as it proceeds
southward, and the price remaining nearly the same.
At Bridlington 48 unhcaped Winchester bushels make
the chaldron. The legal measure upon which the duty
is paid, is 36 unheaped Winchester bushels per chal-
dron. — On the Wolds, wool is sold by the stone of
161 lbs. In Holderness the todd of 28J lbs. is in ge-
neral use. Butchers' meat, hides, provisions, tallow,
&c. are sold by the store of 14 lbs. The pound of
fresh butter varies in ditferent markets, from 16 to 20
ounces. Hay is sold by the ton of 160 stone, and
straw by the threave of 12 bundles.
CIVIL AKD ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS.
The East Riding is divided into six wapentakes, viz.
Holderness, Dickering, Buckrose, Ouse and Derwent,
Howdenshire, and Harthill. It contains ten market
towns, viz. Bridlington, Driffield, Beverley, Pockling-
ton. Market- Weighton, Howden, South Cave, King-
ston upon Hull, Hedon, and Patrington; of which
Beverley, Iledon, and Hull, send two members each
to parliament.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF
THE WEST RIDING
OF THE COUNTY OF YORK.
Journey frorn Ingleton to Hotherham ; throvgh Settle,
Skipton, Keighlei/y Halifax, Rudder sjield, and Barm-
ley.
Ingleton is a large and tolerably well-built vil-
lage, on the borders of the riding, next Lancashire.
Tlie manufacture of cotton yarn has for some years
been the principal employment of the inhabitants.
There are several collieries close to the village, nhich
supply the country round to a considerable distance
with coal.
In the immediate neighbourhood of Ingleton there
are many objects highly interesting to the natural
philosopher, find the admirer of romantic scenery.
At a short distance northward is Thornton Scar, a tre-
mendous cliff, partly clothed with '.rood, and partly
exhibiting the bare rock. This Scar is about 100
yards high, and runs up a considerable ^vay, in differ-
ent degrees of elevation, into the mountains, along
with one not quite so perpendicular on the other side.
These are only separated by a very narrow, but fright-
fully deep chasm, through which a rapid stream pur-
sues its course over a succession of small cascades.
Thtjrnton Scar contains a stratum of that species of
rock of which blue slate is formed, from which great
quantities of tbat article is got. Not far distant in the
same romantic dell is Thornton Force, a curious fall
of water, formed by the river Don, which issues out of
Kingsdale. It partly rushes from an aperture of the
rock, having entered it about sixty yards above, with
a fall of nearly thirty, and partly from the top of a
locky ledge thirty yards high, over half of which it
96 WEST RIDING OF YOIlKSHIRE.
falls in one unbroken sheet, four yards wide, and then
rushing over a projecting rock, fails into a deep black
pool below. The tops and sides of the rocks are
beautifully fringed with ivy and other shrubs. The
whole forming, with the cascade, a very fine picture,
leaving little for the imagination of the artist to
supply.
About two miles furtlier is Raven Ree^ a rocky
promontory, 40 yards high, almost covered with ivy,
yew, and other evergreen shrubs. Ascending the
mountains a little further, we soon enter the beautiful
Valley of Kingsdale, about a mile in length, and 300
yards broad, having the mountain Greg-roof on the
north, VVharn;,ide, one of the highest mountains in
England, on the south-east, and a high ridge extend-
ing from thence on the south. The lime-stone on
Greg-roof assumes the most fantastic appearance,
seven tiers of naked perpendicular rocks, with slop-
ing intervals (exhibiting scanty portions of earth,
one above another like the ribs of a skeleton, run
along the sides of this mountain ; but contrary to the
ribs in animal nature, they run parallel to the spine.
About four miles from Ingleton, in Kingsdale, is
Yordas Cave. It is situated at the east end of the
vale, under the mountain Greg-roof. The walls of
this curious cavern are a sort of black marble, the
roof pretty smooth, and beautifully veined with red
and wliite. The floor is strewed with stones and
pieces of rock. Its whole length is between 50 and
60 yards, its breadth 13 yards, and height 47 feet.
On entering the cave its area enlarges every way,
the principal part lies to the right; but it extends rlso
to the left, unfolding some wonderful closets, called
Yordas bedchamber, Yordas oven, &c.
On the upper side of Yordas Cave, is a quarry of
black marble, from which elegant monuments, cnlm-
ney-pieces, slabs, and other ornaments are dug.
By the side of the river Wease or Greta, which
rises about three miles from Ingleton, are slate quar-
ries.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DE5CUIPTI0N. 97
plants. At a small distance Irom Chapel-ie-dale, four
miles from Itigleton, is liurttcpot, a round deep iiole,
about 30 or 40 feet perpendicular, and a deep black
water at bottom, whicfi runs over in i:reat floods, and
has in it large black trout. Another deep chasm, ten
yards long, and 20 deep, at the bottom of a preci-
pice, is called Ginglepot, filled at the bottom with
smooth pebbles, except in the south corner, wliere is
deep water, which in floods swells to the top, and is •
sues out in a vast torrent. From hence we proceed
to Weathercote Cave, a perpendicular natural cata-
ract, within a huge cavern GO yards in length, and
30 broad. It is entered by a little cave, on the right
of which is a subterraneous passage under the rocks,
and a petrifying well. The height of the north cor-
ner of the great cave is 36 yards. About 11 yards
from the top issues out a torrent of water, falling 25
yards, and losing itself on the rocks at the bottom,
and after passing through the two preceding caverns,
appears again by the side of the turnpike road.
" Weathercote Cave is situated in a low field,
where no such phenomenon is expected, and where
no rude strokes of nature indicate any thing extraor-
dinary. The green turf is only interrupted by some
stone walls, bordering a grove of small trees and
shrubs, from whence issues the deep-toned, hollow,
sound of a tremendous cataract. The door of the
cave is no sooner thrown open than we see, through a
grotesque arch of rugged rocks, a large body of wa-
ter, rushing from a square hole, and dashing down
among the rocks at the bottom of a vast craggy basin,
about sixty feet perpendicular, with a roar that
astonishes the most intrepid. This furious river, as if
ashamed of exposing its streams to the open day, no
sooner makes this frightful leap, than in a moment it
disappears; when running under ground for about a
mile, it again shews itself on the surface in a more
calm and peaceful state. From the gate at the en-
trance we descend about fifteen yards, along a rocky
steep, A little to the right there is a cavity of about
K
98 WEST KIDIKG OF YORKSHIRE.
20 yards in length, with a low roof, in which there is
a petrifying spring, and a natural seat and table,
where the philosopher, the recluse, or the poet, may
study without interruption.
" The rocky walls of this cave, which are almost
perpendicular, and on the north side upwards of 100
feet high, are partly covered with a black moss. The
lowest and largest part, and where the water falls, is
somewhat circular, and quite open at the top. One
of the most striking features of this surprizing scene,
is a stone of an enormous magnitude, suspended over
the hole from whence the water issues, by its opposite
angles touching the sides of a crevice. This stone,
has certainly remained in its present situation forages,
and however it may threaten the astonished spectator
with impending danger, may probably continue till the
end of time."
" Weathercote Cave, (Mr. Bigland observes), displays
a scenery still more romantic and sublime. The top
of this cavern is nearly on a level with the adjoining
lands, and the margin is surrounded with trees which
guard and ornament the steep and rugged precipices.
The cave is of a lozenge forai, and divided into two
by a grotesque arch of limestone rock; the length from
north to south is about 60, and the breadth about 30
yards. At the south end is an entrance down into a
small cave, on the right of which is a subterraneous
passage into the great cave, where issuing from a large
aperture in the rock, the astonished visitor sees an
immense cataract falling above 20 yards in an un-
broken sheet with a noise that stuns the ear. The
water falling among rocks and pebbles, disappears, and
runs about a mile along a subterraneous passage. The
whole cave is filled with the spray from the cataract,
and sometimes a small vivid rainbow appears, which
for brilhancy of colour is scarcely any where to be
equalled."
Ingleborough is about three miles east from Ingle-
ton. The westerly and northerly part of this singular
mountain lies in the parish of Bentham ; the easterly
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 99
in the parish of Horton, in Pibbledale; the southerly
in the parish of Clapliam. The immense base on
which it stands is near 20 miles in circumference.
Several considerable streams rise in tliis mountain,
which at length fall into the Irish Sea. The land
round the bottom is fine fruitful pasture, interspersed
with many acres of lime-stone rocks. The land is
more barren as you ascend the mountain, and under
the surface is peat-moss, in many places two or three
yards deep; it is cut up and dried by the country
people for burning instead of coal. As the mountain
rises, it becomes more rugged and perpendicular, and
is at length so steep that it cannot be ascended with-
out great difficulty, and in some places not at all.
There are found quarries of slate in many parts,
which the neighbouring inhabitants use to cover their
houses; there are also many loose stones, but no lime-
stones; yet no stones but lime-stones are to be found
near the base. The people call the loose stones, near
the summit, greet stone. The foot of the mountain
abounds with fine springs, on every side, and on the
west side, near the summit, there is a very remarkable
spring. The top is very level, but so dry and barren
that it affords little grass, the rock being barely covered
with earth. It is about a mile in circumference, and
horse-races were formerly held on it. Upon that
part of the top facing Lancashire and the Irish Sea
the foundations of a house are still to be seen, and
tlie remains of what the country-people call a beacon,
viz. a place erected with stones, three or four yards
high, ascended with stone stairs, which anciently
served to alarm the country upon the approach of an
enemy, a person being always kept there upon watch
in the time of war, who was to give notice in the night,
by fire, to other watchmen placed upon other moun-
tains within view, of which there are many, particu-
larly Wharnside, Woefall, Camfell, Pennygant, and
Pendle-hill. There are likewise discoverable a great
many other similar situations in Westmoreland and
Cumberland, besides the town of Lancaster, from
K 2
loo WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
wliich it is distant about 20 miles. The west and
north sides of Ingleborou^h are the most steep and
rocky: there is one part to the south, where you may
ascend on hoi-seback. A part of the said mountain
projects towards tlie north-east near a mile, but some-
what below the summit; this part is called Parkfell ;
another part juts out in the same manner, near a mile
towards the east, and is called Simonfell; there is like-
^vise another part called Little Ingleborough, towards
the south; tlie summits of all which are much lower
than the top of the mountain itself. There are holes
or chasms, called swallows, near the base, supposed to
be the etfect of the deluge; they are among the lime-
stone rocks, and are open to an incredible depth.
The springs towards the east all come together, and
fall into one of these swallows or holes, called Allan-
pot; and after passing under the earth about a mile,
they burst out again, and flow into the river Ribble,
whose head, or spring, is but a little farther up the
valley. Tiie depth of this swallow or hole could never
be ascertained ; it is about 20 poles in circumference,
not perfectly circular, but rather oval. In wet foggy
weather it sends out a smoke or mist, which may be
seen a considerable distance. Not far from this hole,
nearly north, is another, which may be easily de-
scended. In some places the roof is four or five yards
high, and its width is the same ; in other places not
above a yard ; and except for the run of water, it
cannot be known how far yon might walk, by the help
of a candle, or other light. There is likewise another
hole or chasm, a little west from the other two, which
cannot be descended without difficulty; you are no
sooner entered than you have a subterraneous passage,
sometimes wide and spa<:ious, sometimes so narrow
you are obliged to make use of botli hands, as well as
feet, to crawl a considerable way ; and some persons
are said to have gone sevenU hundred yards, and
might probably have gone much further, had they
ventured. There are a great many more holes or
caverns, well worth the notice of a traveller: some dry,
TOPOGRAPirrCAL DESCRIPTION. 101
some liaving a continual run of water, such as Black-
side Cove, Sir William's Cove, Atkinson's Chamber,
&c. There is likewise, partly south-east, a small
rivulet, which falls into a place of considerable depth,
called Long Kin. Also another swallow or hole,
called Johnsons Jacket Hole, a place resembling a
funnel in shape, but very deep; a stone being thrown
into it makes a rumbling noise, and may be heard a
considerable time. There is likewise another called
Gaper^GlU, into which a good many springs fall in
one stream; and after a subterraneous passage of
upwards of a mile, break out again, and winds through
Clapham: then, after a serpentine course of several
miles, this stream joins the river Lon, or Lune, and
parsing by the town of Lancaster, it falls into the Irish
Sea. There are likewise, both on the west and north
sides, a great many springs, which all fall into such
cavities, and bursting out again towards the base of
the mountain, fall likewise into the Irish Sea, by the
town of Lancaster; and, what seems very remarkable,
there is not one rivulet running from the base of the
mountain that has not a considerable subterraneous
passage. All the springs arise about the summit,
among the greet-stones, and iiuk or fall into some hole
as soon as they descend to the lime-stone rocks ;
where, passing under ground for some way, they burst
out again towards the base. There are likewise, to
the west and north, a great many swallows or holes,
some very deep and frightful, others more shallow,
with a long range of the most beautiful rocks that
ever adorned a prospect, rising in a manner perpen-
dicularly up to an immense height. In the valley
above Ilorton, near the base of this mountain, there
is a large heap or pile of grit-stones, all thrown pro-
miscuously together, without any appearance of build-
ing or workmanship, which cannot reasonably be
thought to be the work of nature; few stones are to
be found near it, though it is computed to contain
400 of that country cart loads of stones, or upwards.
There is likewise another pile at the base, north-east^
K i5
102 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
in resemblance much the same, but not so large.
There are several up and down the country. Indeed
here were anciently, as far back as the time of Queen
Elizabeth, some copper mines, which were wrought
to good advantage; but whether the vein of ore failed,
or what else was the reason, they are all given up long
since, and this part of the country yields httle or none
at all.
Mr. Bigland was much disappointed on his ascent
to the top of Ingleborough. The day, July 8, 181 J,
was fine and clear below; but the mountain was from
time to time covered with clouds which often poured
over the top like the smoke of furnaces. Whilst
ascending, however, all appeared clear, and he seemed
to have met with a favourable moment ; but when he
reached the summit, a cloud was approaching from
the west which precluded his view of the Irish Sea.
In the space of a few minutes, not only the distant
mountains, butWharnside and Pennygant disappeared;
Ingleborough was enveloped in a tremendous storm
of wind and hazy rain, accompanied with a surprizing
degree of cold, and darkness almost equal to that of
night; the weather in the meanwhile underwent no
alteration below, but continued all the day, warm,
pleasant, and clear.
Mr. Bigland therefore thinks it advisable that every
tourist who visits Ingleborough, or other mountains of
this description, should take a guide; for want of
similar precaution he found himself bewildered amidst
the rocks and morasses; and the approach to Ingle-
borough on the southern side from the village of
Austwick, is very toilsome to persons not acquainted
with the road. The north side of Ingleborough is less
steep than the eastern and southern sides; but the
western is the raost sloping, and tl;e easiest ascent is
from Ingleton. The sides where they are not perpen-
dicular are springy; the ground indeed to the very
summit emits water at every pore; for this mountain
being the first check that the western clouds meet
with in their passage from Ireland, is almost conti-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 103
nualiy enveloped in mists, or n ashed with rains. The
top is level ajul horizontal; and the beacon formerly
placed here, was to give the country an alarm in any
sudden danger, particularly an incursion of the Scots.
Pennygant at the distance of four miles, appears to be
almost within a leap; and towards the south, the
rocks near Settle and Peiidle-hill towering aloft, seem
close at hand. Wharnside is within the distance of
six miles, and Snow den, Crossfell, dec. are clearly
visible.
Dr. Gale supposes that the beacon upon Ingle-
borough was erected by the Roman garrison of
Bremetonacae, or Overborough, which is live miles
from it.
In a field called the Sleights, are two large heaps
of small round stones, a quarter of a mile from each
other, called the Hurders. About five miles north-
east fi^om Ingleton, is Wharnside, another high moun-
tain. It is about 50 feet higher than Ingleborough,
but the prospects from it are not so much diversified
with pleasing objects, the situation being in the midst
of a vast amphitheatre of hills. The sight of four or
five small lakes, or sams, as they are here called, on
the top, will however afford some amusement to the
curious. Two of them are about 300 yards in length,
and nearly the same in breadth. A thin seam of
coal is found near the summit of this mountain ; and
another is said to correspond therewith on the top of
the lofty hill Colm, on the opposite side of Debdale or
Dentdale.
The perpendicular height of this mountain, accord-
ing to Mr. Jefferies, is 5340 feet, or one mile and
twenty yards above the level of the sea. Several
pools or small lakes near the summit, are called tarns,
two of which are at least 180 yards in length, and but
little less in breadth.
The prospects are very extensive, and command
the whole of Wensley-dale, when not obscured by
mists.
Fennygantj is about six miles eastward from Ingle-
104 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
borough, and is another remarkable mountain of con-
siderable elevation. The measurement of Penny^nt
is 1740 yards above the level of the sea. At its base
are two frightful orifices called Halpit and Huntpit
Holes; the former looks like the ruins of a large
castle, the latter resembles a deep funnel. Through
each of them runs a subterraneous brook, which
emerges at a considerable distance.
There are several other curiosities of a nature
similar to those already described, not only about
the base of Ingleborough, but that of Wharnside,
well worth the notice of the natural philosopher, and
which may be visited in such succession as may be
most convenient. The principal curiosities on the
former not already noticed, are Meergill and Plardraw-
kin on the north side, and Alumn-pot and -Long
Churn on the south; those on the latter are Galekirk
Cave on the south, and Greenside Cave on the south-
east.
The following is the most correct statement of the
elevations of Ingleborough, and the other two cele-
brated mountains in its neighbourhood.
Wharnside 5340 feet. Measured by Jefferies.
Ingleborough 5280 do. Ditto.
Peimygant 5220 do. Ditto.
From the above measurements it appears, that the
mountains of Yorkshire are the highest in South
Britain.
Four miles from Ingleton, upon the road is the
village of Clapham, which contains several well-built
houses, and the adjacent country is rendered particu-
larly agreeable by the many small villas and gentle-
men's seats interspersed about it.
About two miles before we reach Settle, under a
high ridge of prominent lime- stone rocks, is a re-
markable ebbing and flowing well. A stone trough
of about a yard square is placed over the spring, with
openings at various heights to admit the issuing of the
water at different times ; sometimes it rises and falls
nearly a foot in this reservoir every ten or fifteen
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 105
minutes. Drunken Barnahy, who wrote liis Itinerary
nearly 200 years ago, mentions this well, and observes
that it puzzled the learned of his age.
" Near to the way, as the traveller goes,
A fine fresh spring both ebbs and flows;
Neither know the learu'd, that travel,
What procures it salt or gravel."
This phenomenon has never been accounted for in
a satisfactory manner. This singular spring is close
to the right-hand side of the road leading to Ingkton,
Kirkby Lonsdale, and Kendal, at the bottom of Gig-
gleswick Scar, an almost perpendicular clitT of lime-
stone and gravel 150 feet high, and more than three
miles in length. The water is limpid, cold, and
wholesome, and great care is taken to preserve it from
being defiled by passengers.
About a mile further is the pleasant village of Gic-
GLESWICK, which is Said to have formerly been a
market town, while Settle was only a hamlet, and it
still contains the parish church to that place. This
church is a large and handsome uniform building,
exactly in the same style of the other churches iu
Craven, which are known to have been rebuilt in the
reigns of Henry VII. and VIII. In this church, on a
brass plate, m the middle aisle, is the following in-
scription :
Here lies interred,
The Rev. William Paley, B.A.
Fifty-four years
Master of this Free-School,
Who died September 29, 1799,
Aged 88 years.
Also Elizabeth,
The Wife of the Rev. William Paley,
Who died March 9th, 1796,
Aged 83 years.
These were the parents of the late celebrated Dr.
Paley, sub-dean of Lincoln, who is also lately de-
ceased. This eminent person was born in July 1743,
at Peterborough, where liis father was tlien minor
106 WEST RIDING OF YORKSUIIIE.
canon of the cathedral, but removed to Giggleswick
soon after.
The parish of Ckgleswick contains five townships,
viz. the village of Giggleswick and Stackhouse one ;
the market town of Settle, with the hamlets of Lodge
and Murbeck a second ; the two Stainforths a third ;
the village of Langcliffe and hamlet of Winskill a
fourth ; and the village of Ruthmell a fifth.
The manors of Giggleswick and Settle are vested
in his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, as Lord of the
Percy-fee.
" The environs of Giggleswick are romantic and
beautiful. — Here a deep and rocky valley begins to
be formed, which allowing sufficient space for a very
fertile tract of meadow and pasture, gradually ex-
panding to the south, forms a bold and lofty rampart
of grey limestone; on the east and west surmounted
at a considerable distance, by the enormous masses
of Pennygant and Ingleborough to the north. Im-
mediately to the east, and almost overhanging the
town of Settle, is Castleberg, a conical rock, backed
by a cluster of rugged and protuberant craggs, and
once undoubtedly crowned by a fortification.
" The summit of Castleberg once formed the
gnomon of a rude, but magnificent, sun-dial, the
shadow of which passing over some grey soft stone
upon its side, marked the progress of time to the in-
liabitants of the town beneath. An instrument cer-
tainly more ancient in itself, and possibly as old in its
application, as the dial of Ahaz.
" But the hour marks have long been removed,
and fe%v remember the history of their old benefac-
tor, whose shadow now takes its daily tour unob-
served." —
In a quarry at Craven-Bank, the boundary of Cra-
ven, above Giggleswick, a large quantity of Roman
coins were found some years since, chiefly of the two
Constantines, Gratian, and others about the same
period.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOK. lOf
SETTLE
Is a small, but well-built, market-town, otice fa-
mous for its manufacture of, and trade in, leather,
and hides; and a fair once a fortnight is still kept
up for the sale of these articles, and fat cattle. Its
situation with respect to the neighbouring country
is rather low. The vale before it, through which the
Ribble pursues its course, is however extensive and
pleasant.
The town stands near the base of Castleberg rock,
above-mentioned, vv-hich is said to rise nearly 300 feet
above the tops of the houses. The inhabitants were
some years since at the expence of cutting an easy
winding path to the top of it, from whence there is a
fine prospect of the vale below, and the long range of
craggy hills on each hand.
On' approaching Settle, in travelling from Skipton,
quickset hedges entirely disappear, and all the fields
are enclosed w^ith stone walls, laid without mortar ;
some of these being six feet high, renders them much
less agreeable than they would be if the fences were
lower and the prospects more open, though all the
country to the north consists of a rude assemblage of
mountains.
At High Hilly above Settle, are the remains of two
Roman encampments; the first occupies a large tract
of ground, in the middle of which is a noble spring
surrounded with a bank of earth ; the second is small,
and of an oblong form. A branch of the Roman road
passes over the moors by Sunderland, and in view of
Craven Bank.
About four miles to the east of Settle is Mulham
Cove, an immense crag of limestone, 286 feet high,
stretched in shape of the segment of a large circle
across the valley, which it thus terminates, "in a
manner at once so august and tremendous, that the
imagination can scarcely figure any form or scale of
108 \VI ST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
rock, within tho bounds of probability that shall go
beyond it."
At the foot of the cove, a current of water issues
out, called Aire Head, it being, in all probability, one
of the streams which feed that river. In floods the
subterraneous passage is not sufficient to give vent
to all the water which then pours in a cataract from
the top of the rocks, forming a most grand and mag-
nificent cascade. This curious phenomenon is sel-
dom seen by travellers in the summer months. If
the wind blows pretty strongly from the south or
soutli-west, the whole front of this bluff and age-
tinted battlement standing unsheltered and exposed,
very little, if any, of the expanded current reaches
the bottom; but driven back into the air, or against
the projections of the rock, has the appearance of a
curled foaming mist, impetuously revolving, and dis-
sipated as a whirlwind.
Within less than a mile of this village, it is observed
in the " Beauties of England," is Malhara Water, a
lake of an almost circular form, about a mile in dia-
meter, and remarkably situated on a high moor. The
water is fine and clear, and it abounds with excellent
fish: here have sometimes been taken, trout of eleven
pounds weight, and perch weighing from five to six
pounds. — This 'lake was given by William de Percy
to the monks of Fountain's Abbey, about the begin-
ning of the reign of King Stephen; and the inexhaust-
ible store of excellent trout and perch with which it
has always abounded at one season of the year, might
have converted the pretended fasts of these monks
into a season of festivity.
A little above the cove, upon the moors, is Mal-
ham Turn^ a small lake, about four miles in circum-
ference, abounding in trout and perch, which grow
here to a great size.
Passing through the village of Malham, which is
situated at the union of the two valleys, respectively
terminated by the Cove and Gordale Scar, at the
distance of a mile we reach the latter. "The ap-
TOPOGrxAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 109
approach to Gordale, on the east side of the village,
is through a stony and desolate valley, witiiout a single
object to divert the eye from the scene before it; this
is a stupendous mass of limestone, of perhaps equal
height with the cove, cleft asunder by some great
convulsion cf nature; opening " its ponderous and
marble jaws," on the right and left, and forming a
ravine, over the rugged bosom of which flows a con-
siderable stream.
" The sensation of horror is increased by the pro-
jection of either side from its base, so that the two
conivent rocks, though considerably distant at the
bottom, admit only a narrow line of day-light from
above. At the very entrance you turn a little to the
riglit, and are struck by a yawning mouth, in the face
of the opposite crag, whence the torrent, pent up
beyond, suddenly forced a passage, within the me-
mory of man, which at every swell continues to spout
out one of the boldest, and most beautiful cataracts
that can be conceived. Wherever a cleft in the rock,
or a lodgment of earth appears, the yew-tree, indigenous
in such situations, contrasts its deep and glossy green
with the pale grey of the limestone."
The opening in the rocks, which gives passage to
the stream, is said to have been caused by the force
of a great body of w^ater, which collected in a sudden
thunder-storm, sometime about the year 1730.
About five miles from Settle, is Lokg Pkeston, a
large village, at least a mile in length upon the road.
Great quantities of calico are made, and the inhabi-
tants have been noticed for their respectable and
cheerful appearance.
A church was erected here very early in the Saxon
times. It contained a chantry, dedicated to Our Lady
and St.Anne ; founded by Richard Hammerton, knt.
according to the return of chantries, made by Arch-
bishop Holgate, and valued at 5l. 6s. 8d. per annum.
This was the south choir of the church, still the pro-
perty of the family. There was also a chapel of St.
Michael, which Dr. VVhitaker suspects to have stood
L
110 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE. ^
near the entrance of the church-yard, where a floor
of painted tiles is met with, in digging graves.
The present church contains no remains of the
original structure, excepting at the east end of tlie
middle aisle. The rest was probably rebuilt about
the year 1445, the time of the erection of Hammer-
ton's chapel.
Withia the steeple, and at considerable height
above ground, is a strong vaulted chamber, about six
feet by four, the use of which is not known.
The mansion house at Helhfield is a curious cas-
tellated building, fortified and embattled by Laurence
Hammerton, in the reign of Henry VI. It still re-
mains a square compact building, very strong; but of
too narrow dimensions to accommodate the family, in
the splendid style they then lived, and therefore must
have served rather as a place of retreat in case of
alarm. It was modernized by James Hammerton,
esq.
The next place we pass through, on our road to
Skipton, is Coniston Cold, a small township, in the
parish of Gargrave. On Stuling Hill, an high round
knoll, above this village, commanding one of the
most central and extensive views in Craven, is an
elliptical encampment, 522 feet in circumference; it
is supposed to be Danish. On the north-west side of
Coniston Moor, is a place called Sweet Gap, where
tradition reports that the inhabitants of Gargrave,
making a stand against a party of Scotch invaders,
were cut off almost to a man. Gargrave, according
to the same tradition, had then seven churches, six of
which these destroyers burnt, and spared the seventh
for the merit of being dedicated to their own national
saint, Andrew.
The parish of Gargrave may be considered as the
central parish of the district called Craven, as well as
the warmest and most fertile. It consists of the
townships of Gargrave, Coniston Cold, Cold Newton,
since called Bank Newton, Stainton, Esliton, Hasby,
and Winterburne. It is partly within the fee of Clil-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. Ill
ford and partly vvithia that of Percy, which are divided
by the river Aire.
Gargrave is situated upon the road, about four
miles from Skipton, and close to the Leeds and
Liverpool Canal, upon which it has extensive ware-
houses. The principal business of the place is the
cotton manufacture.
A court for the recovery of small debts is held here,
under the Duke of Devonshire.
The town is divided by the river Aire, which abounds
with fish, " and has such a winding course (says
Camden), through the Ings between this and Skipton,
and sports so in meanders from its very source, as if
it were undetermined almost whether to run to the
sea, or back to its sjurce; for I was forced to cross
it, in my direct road, no less than seven times in half
an hour." Gargrave is a place of yearly rendezvous
to the gentlemen of Yorkshire, and the adjacent
counties, for the hunting-season.
" y\bout half a mile beneath the town, on a fertile
plain, are the buried remains of a Roman villa, called
Kirk Sink, from a tradition that some great ecclesias-
tical edifice had there been swallowed up. The
stones of which this building had been composed have
gradually been removed, probably to build the pre-
sent church; but the irregularities upon the surface,
prove it to be a parallelogram, about 300 feet long,
and 180 feet wide. It was dug up about 70
years ago, and the source of a tesselated pavement
discovered at that time, induced Dr. Whitaker to ap-
ply for permission to open the ground again. But the
■walls had been so completely grubbed up to the
foundation, that though it was just possible to ascertain
the size of the apartments, which had been very small,
no masses of cohering pavement could be taken up,
and the whole lay in heaps mingled with mortar, con-
sisting of cubes of various colours, some an inch,
others not more than half an inch in diameter, toge-
ther with floor-tiles of about three inches square,"
L 2 '
112 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
SKIPTON
Is a good market town, entirely built of stone ; it
consists chiefly of one spacious street, which serves for
the market-place, and some straggling lanes. Here
is a well-frequented market on Saturday, to which
great quantities of corn are brought, and hence dis-
persed into several parts of Craven. Skipton being
close to the Leeds and Liverpool canal, the latter
greatly facilitates the trade.
The present church of Skipton is a spacious and
handsome building of different styles of architecture;
perhaps no part of the original structure remains, but
four stone seats with pointed arches, and cylindrical
columns, in the south wall of the nave, may be re-
ferred to the earlier part of the 13th century.
The church received considerable repairs in the
time of Richard IIL but thereof cannot be older than
the reignj of Henry the VHIth. It is very handsome,
flat, but with light flying springers. At the east end
are the arms of the Priory of Bolton.
The screen is inscribed :
anno D'ni milz^^imo cinin^mti^imo ttim^imo ttttia
tt regni Hegi^ J^em ttiiu Xiicz&Mmo quinto.
Beneath the altar, which is unusually elevated on
that account, is the vault of the Cliffords, the place
of their interment, from the dissolution of Bolton
Priory to the death of the last earl of Cumberland.
Dr. Whitaker examined this vault, March 29, 1803,
after it had been closed many years, and found " that
the original vault, intended only for the first earl and
his second lady, had undergone two enlargements ;
and the bodies having been deposited in chronological
order, first, and immediately under his tomb, lay
Henry, the first earl, whose lead coffin was much cor-
roded, and exhibited the skeleton of a short and very
stout man, with a long head of flaxen hair, gathered
in a knot behind the skull. The coffin had been
TOPOGRAPmCAL DESCRIPTION. 113
closely fitted to the body, and proved him to have
been very corpulent, as well as muscular. Next lay
the remains of Margaret Percy, his second countess,
whose coffin was still entire. She must have been a
slender and diminutive woman. The third was the
Lady Ellinoj-'s grave, whose coffin was much decayed,
and exhibited the skeleton (as might be expected in a
daughter of Charles Brandon, and the sister of
Henry VIII.) of a tall and large-Umbed female. At
her right hand was Henry the second earl, a very tall
and rather slender man, whose thin envelope of lead,
really resembled a winding sheet, and folded, like
coarse drapery, over the limbs. The head was beaten
to the left side ; something of the shape of the face
might be distniguished, and a long prominent nose
was very conspicuous. Next lay Francis, Lord Clif-
ford, a boy. At his right hand was his father George,
the third earl, whose lead coffin precisely resembled
the outer case of an Egyptian mummy, ^vith a rude
face, and something like female mammae cast upon it;
as were also the figures and letters of G. C. 1605.
The body was close wrapped in ten folds of coarse cere
cloth, wmch being removed, exhibited the face so entire
(only turned to copper colour), as plainly to resemble
his portraits. The coffin of Earl Francis, who lay
next his brother, was of the modern shape, and alone
had an outer shell of wood, which was covered with
leather; the soldering had decayed, and nothing ap-
peared but the ordinary skeleton of a tall man."
Over him Jay another coffin which Dr. VVhitaker
suspects had contained the Lady Ann Dacre, his
mother. Last lay Henry the fifth earl, in a coffin of
the same with that of his father.
The tomb of Henry the first earl, and Maigaret
Percy his wife, is of grey marble. On the slab are
grooves for two figures. There are also inlets for four
shields of arms, within the garter. All these brasses
were stolen in the Civil Wars, but the epitaphs had
been transcribed in 1619. The celebruted Anne
L 3
114 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
Countess of Pembroke caused others to be affixed,
which Dr. VVhitaker gives at length.
At the south side of the communion«table is ano-
ther stately tomb of black marble, inclosed with iron
rails, and erected by the good countess to the memory
of her father, George Clifford, third earl of Cumber-
land.
In the church is a library, for the use of the parish,
founded by Silvester Petys, principal of Barnard's Inn,
who was born in this neighbourhood. It consists
chiefly of ancient books, that are in bad condition,
which is said to arise from the salary of 5^. per annum
for their preservation not being paid according to the
will of the founder.
The Castle at Skipton is the great object which
attracts the attention of strangers. It stands on an
eminence that commands the town, and also a good
prospect of the surrounding country. It was built by
Robert de Romille, styled lord of the manor of Skipton
in Craven, soon after the Conquest. It afterwards
came to the Cliffords, and at present belongs to the
earl of Thanet. Of the original building little besides
the western door-way of the inner castle now remains.
The oldest part of Skipton castle now remaining con-
sists of seven round towers, partly in the sides, and
partly in the angles, of the buildings, connected by
rectilinear apartments, which form an irregular qua-
drangular court within. The walls are from nine to
twelve feet thick. This part was the work of Robert
de Chfford, in the beginning of the reign of Edward II.
For according to his descendant, the countess of
Pembroke, " He was the chief builder of the most
strong parts of Skipton castle, which had been out of
repair and ruinous from the Albeniarles' time." The
eastern part, a single range of building, at least 60
yards long, terminated by an octagon tower, was built
by the first earl of Cumberland, in the short space of
four or five months, for the reception of " the Lady
Eleanor Brandon's Grace, who married his son, in
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 115
the 27th of Henry VIII." This part remains nearly
in its origuial condition, as the wainscot, carved with
fluted pannels, and even some of the ancient furniture,
serves to prove.
The present entrance, concealing the original Nor-
man doorway, was added by Lady Pembroke, wlio
repaired the castle ; a circumstance commemorated
by the following inscription cut in stone, over the
door at the west end :
" This Skipton Castle was repaired by the Lady Anne
Clifford, Countess Dowager of Pembroke, Dorset,
and Montgomery, Baroness Clifford, Westmoreland,
and Vesy; Lady of the Honor of Skipton in Craven,
and high Sheriffess by inheritance of the county
of Westmoreland, in the years 1655 and 1658, after
the main part of it had lain ruinous ever since De-
cember 1648, and the January following, when it
was then pulled down and demolished almost to
the ground by command of the parliament sitting at
Westminster, because it had been a garrison in their
Civil Wars in England. — Isaiah, chap. Iviii. ver. 12,
God's name be praised."
The entrance into the castle is by an ancient gate-
way on the southern side, nearly facing the market-
place. In one of the courts within the building stands
an aged yew-tree, casting a solemn shade over the
place. The edi6ce, however, seems upon the whole
better calculated for a dwelling than a fortress, as it
commands a pleasing prospect of the town and vale,
terminated by distant hills to the south; and the
eminences on the northern side might be converted
into pleasure-grounds.
Several passages wind round the castle to various
rooms hung with old tapestry. In one of these
chambers is a curious old family picture, with whole-
length figures as large as life. Of this picture Dr.
Whitaker has given a beautiful engraving in his His-
:ory of Craven. It is composed of three parts, a
centre and three extremes, the latter serving as doors.
[n the centre compartment is George Clifford Earl of
116 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
Cumberland, and on his right imnd is Margaret Ilus-
sel, his countess, holding in her left hand the Psalms
of David ; on her right hand stands her eldest son
Francis, and on his right her other son Robert; nearly
over the head of the countess is a half-length, eight
inches and three quarters high, and seven inches and
a half broad, of Elizabeth, Countess of Bath, eldest
sister of the Countess of Cumberland. On the left,
at a little distance from it, in the same line, almost
at the left side of the picture as it is viewed, is another,
the same size, of Frances Lady Wharton, sister to the
Earl of Cumberland ; and below is one, rather larger,
of Margaret Countess of Derby, eldest child of Henry
second Earl of Cumberland by his first lady.
The Earl of Cumberland here represented made
twenty-two voyages against that blood-thirsty monarch
Philip the second of Spain, who felt the effects of his
prowess against his Invincible Armada in his European
dominions, and also in his more distant ones in Ame-
rica. Queen Elizabeth appointed him her champion in
the 33d year of her reign. In the exercises of tilting
and the courses of the field he excelled all the nobility
of his time. He died, as the picture informs us,
" penitently, willingly, and christianly, October 30th,
1605."
The doors exhibit the portraits of tlieir celebrated
daughter Anne Clifford, afterwards Countess of Dor-
set, Pembroke, and Montgomery. One compartment
represents her at the age of about thirteen ; the other
in a state of widowhood, dressed in black, with a
veil ; over the latter portrait are the heads of her two
husbands, Richard Earl of Dorset, and Philip Earl of
Pembroke. This last nobleman died in 1650, when
the character of this extraordinary woman began to
shew itself, and the greatness of her mind broke forth
in its full lustre. She rebuilt or repaired six of her
ancient castles, she restored seven churches or chapels,
founded one hospital, and repaired another. She re-
sided occasionally at each of her castles, for the noble
purpose of being thereby enabled to dispense her
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 117
charities in rotation to the poor on her vast estates.
She travelled in a horse-litter, and often over the
worst roads, to find occasion for laying out her money
by employing the indigent in repairing the roads.
This amiably great woman died at the age of eighty-
six, in the year IG76, and was interred at Appleby.
From the back of the castle is a view into a deep
wooded dingle, having a canal at the bottom to con-
vey limestone to the great canal. In the castle is a
free chapel (originally founded by the Earl of Albe-
marle who was married to Cicily, grand-daughter to
the above mentioned Robert Romille), and having
some lands called Holm Domain, is consequently said
to be the castle paiish.
In the castle-yard there is a very large oak, said to
be sprung from an acorn that grew on the tree wherein
King Charles II. secreted himself. There is also a
large fish-pond, which surrounds one half of the castle,
upon which a pleasure-boat is kept.
Skipton has long enjoyed the benefit of a well-
endowed Grammar School, founded in the second
year of Edward the Vlth, by William Erme'itead,
canon residentiary of St. Paul's.
The school has a beautiful house, garden, and
pleasure-grounds, attached to it, with divers lands in
Addinghara, Skipton, and Eastby, worth at present
near 400/. per annum. The master is chosen by a
majority of the vicar and churchwardens of the parish
of Skipton, within one month after the demise of the
last incumbent ; in case of no election within that
period, it devolves to Lincoln-College, Oxford ; and
in case of no appointment there, after one month, to
the dean and chapter of St. Paul's; after allowing the
same space of time for appointing a master, and sup-
posing the same failure or neglect, the choice recurs
to the vicar and chui'chwardens, and revolves on the
same ground and on the same condition as before.
With respect to the master's duty, he is required to
explain to the scholars Virgil, Terence, Ovid, and
other Latin poets, and to teach them to compose
ilB VrEST niDING OF YORKSHIRE.
epistles, oiatiuDs, and verses. Here is also a school
ill which all the boys of the town are taught to sing
psalms, by the parish clerk, who is allowed a salary
for it. Here is a Town-house, in which the quarter
sessions are held once a year, for the West Riding.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal coming close to
the town, opens a channel of navigation to Bradford,
Leeds, Selby, York, Hull, and the sea, on one side,
and to Coine, Burnly, Blackburn, Wigan,and Liver-
pool, on the other. AH sorts of merchandize are re-
ceived by it, together with supplies of coal from Brad-
ford, and large quantities of lirae-stone, &c. returned
to the glass works, iron founderies, and lime-kilns, in
the neighbourhoods of Bradford, Leeds, &c.
WiNTERWELL Hall, inSkipton, so called probably
from a well never frozen in winter, which is now
swallowed up in the canal, was more than half de-
stroyed when that was cut; part of it, however, re-
mains on the right hand of the canal bridge, on
entering the town from Broughton. This was, until
the middle of Henry the VHIth's reign, the residence
of the Lamberts.
At Embsay, two miles east from Skipton, Wil-
liam de Meschines and Cicily de Romille his wife,
founded in 1120 a monastery of canons regular of St.
Austin, which was about thirty years after translated
by their daughter AdeUza to Bolton-in-Craven, and
valued at the dissolution at 212/. per annum.
The Vale of Skipton is one of the finest and most
fertile in England: its extent cannot be ascertained,
as only a very small part of the Vale of Aire bears
that name. But though not marked by certain boun-
daries, it may be considered as extending above the
village of Gargrave almost to the source of the Aire,
at least five or six miles to the north-west of Skipton,
and to the same distance below the town, to the
south-east, within about four miles and a half of
Keighley. The breadth of the vale is irregular, but
appears to be about a mile and a half on the average.
It contains little tillage, but displays the most luxurifijit
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION, 119
Iheadows and pastures that can any where be seen.
Some parts, subject to sudden inundations of tlie nvci-
Aire, produce larger crops of grass than the rest.
The villages of Kildwick and Crosri-hill stand opposite
each other about four miles below Skipton; the former
on the north, the latter on the soutli side of the Aire,
over which is a handsome stone bridge. Here the
road from Skipton to Keighley crosses the river. This
part of the vale, which forms a parallelogram about a
mile and a half, or somewhat more in breadth, and
between three or four miles in length, is greatly ad-
mired by tourists, and may indeed be esteemed a
terrestrial paradise. The lofty hills forming the boun-
daries on every side, and the well-built villages at the
bottom, especially those of Kildwick and Cross-hill;
the fertile vale divided into beautiful enclosures, and
the scattered farm-houses, altogether present a land-
scape equally pleasing and picturesque, and the whole
scenery exhibits the appearance of a beautiful recess.
At the south-east corner of this delightful plain, the
Aire makes a turn almost south, and runs through a
deep and romantic valley to Keighley. Not far trom
the north-west corner is Farnhill-hall, once a cas-
tellated mansion, but lately only used as a farm-house.
This part of the Vale of Skipton is not less temperate
and healthful than the other. About a mile from the
town of Skipton, on the left of the Knaresborough
road, is a large quarry, from which there is a fine iron
road, with a gentle descent, all the way to the town,
to which the stone from the quarry is brought by carts
without horses. Three carts being strongly linked
together, and having iron fellies hollowed to suit the
road, are steered by one man at the hindmost, who
pushes them for%vard with his foot applied to a lever.
One horse brings back the three carts to the quarry.
The remains of Bolton Priory are about three
miles still further east, being surrounded by bold and
majestic high grounds they are scarcely seen until the
traveller arrives on the spot. Bolton Priory stands
120 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
upon a beautifuj curvature of the Wharf, on a Icveh
sufficientl)' elevated to protect it from inundations,
and low enough for every purpose of picturesque
effect. In the latter respect it has no equal among
the northern houses, perhaps not in the kingdom. —
Fountains, as a building, is more entire, more spacious,
and magnificent, but the valley of the Skell is insig-
nificant, and without features. — Furness, which is
more dilapidated, ranks still lower in point of situa-
tion. — Kirkstall, as a mere ruin, is superior to Bolton,
but, though deficient neither in water nor wood, it
wants the seclusion of a deep valley, and the ter-
mination of a bold rocky back-ground. — Tintern,
which, perhaps, most resembles it, has rock, wood,
and water in perfection ; but no foreground what-
ever.
Opposite to the east- window of the Priory Church
the river washes the rock nearly perpendicular, and
of the richest purple, where several of the mineral
beds, which break out, instead of maintaining their
usual inclination to the horizon, are twisted, by some
inconceivable process, into undulating and spirsd lines.
To the south, all is soft and delicious; the eye reposes
upon a few rich pastures, a moderate reach of the
river sufficiently tranquil to form a mirror to the sun,
and the bounding fells beyond, neither too near nor
too lofty to exclude, even in winter, any considerable
portion of his rays.
But, after all, the glories of Bolton are on the
north. Whatever the most fastidious taste could
require to constitute a perfect landscape, is not only
found here, but in its proper place. In front, and
immediately under the eye, is a smooth expanse of
park-like enclosure, spotted with native elm, ash, &c.
of the finest growth ; on the right, a skirting oak-
wood, with jutting points of grey rock; on the left, a
rising copse. Still forward are seen the aged groves
of Bolton-park, the groAvth of centuries; and tarther
yet, the barren and rocky distances of Simonseat and
TOPOGllAPHIGAL DESCRIPTION. I2l
' Bardonfell, contrasted to the warmth, fertility, and
luxuriant foliage of the valley below.
About half a mile above Bolton, the valley closes,
and either side of the Wharfe is overhung by deep and
solemn woods, from which huge perpendicular masses
of grey rock jut out at intervals.
This sequestered scene was almost inaccessible till
of late, that ridings have been cut on both sides of
tlie river, and the most interesting points laid open
by judicious thinnings in the w^oods. Here a tributary,
stream rushes from a waterfall, and bursts through a
woody glen to mingle its waters with the Wharfe.
There the Wharfe itself is nearly lost in a deep cleft of
the rock, and next becomes an horned flood, enclosing
a woody island ; sometimes it reposes for a moment,
and then resumes its native character, lively, irregular,
impetuous.
The cleft metioned above, is the tremendous Strid,
This chasm, being incapable of receiving the winter
floods, has formed, on either side, a broad strand of
native grit-stone, full of rock basons, " or pots of the
lin," which bear witness to the restless impetuosity of
so many northern torrents. But if the Wharfe is here
lost to the eye, it repays another sense by its deep
and solemn roar, like the voice of" the angry spirit of
the waters," heard far above and beneath, amidst the
silence of the surrounding woods.
The terminating objects of the landscape are the
remains of Barden Tower, interesting, from their
form and situation, but still more so from the recol-
lections which they excite.
The principal remains of Bolton Priory now stand-
ing, were parts of the church. The nave is still
used as a parochial chapel. Over the west door are
two escutcheons ; that on the north displays the Clif-
fords' arms, the other on the south side a Cross Jormce.
Besides the west end, parts of the nave and choir are
yet standing, though much mutilated. The want of
a tower detracts much from the beauty of the building.
According to Dr. Whitaker, the Priory of Embsay,
M
{21 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
before mentioned, was founded by William de Mes-
chines and Cecelia his wife, in the year J12I, and
continued there about thirty-three years, when it is
said by tradition to have been translated to Bolton,
on the following account.
" The founders were now dead, and had left a
daughter who adopted her mother's name, Romill^,
and was married to William Fitz-Duncan, nephew of
David, King of Scotland. They had issue a son,
commonly called the Boy of Egremond (one of his
grandfather's baronies, where he was probably born),
who surviving an elder brother, became the last hope
of the family."
" In the deep solitude of the woods betwixt Bolton
and Barden, four miles up the river, the W^harfe sud-
denly contracts itself to a rocky channel, little more
than four feet wide, and pours through the tremendous
fissure with a rapidity proportioned to its confinement.
The place was then, as it is yet, called the Stride
from a feat often exercised by persons of more agility
than prudence, who stride from brink to brink, re-
gardless of the destruction which waits a faltering
step. Such was the fate of Young Romille, who in-
considerately bounding over the chasm with a grey-
hound in his leash, the animal hung back, and drew
his unfortunate master into the torrent. The misfor-
tune is said to have occasioned the translation of the
priory from Embsay to Bolton, which was the nearest
eligible site to the place where it happened."
One of the gates of the priory still remains; and by
stopping up its openings, has been converted into a
dwelling, (the ground floor being one large room) has
been used as an occasionl residence by the Duke of
Devonshire.
Barden Tozcer is situated at some distance above
the Strid, crowning the bold banks of the river Wharfe.
It was formerly a hunting residence of the Cliffords.
In the year 1774 Dr. Whitaker saw it entire. Since
then the timbers of the roof have been taken away,
" and it has now put on that form which only dilapi-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 1Q3
dating remains have the privilege of absuming. The
chapel, a plain convenient building, at a short distance
from the tower, is still kept in repair, and used for
public worship.
Returning to our road from Skipton to Keighley,
at four miles from the former place, we pass through
the village of Kildwick, where tlie family of Cur-
rer formerly had a seat.
The church of Kiidwick is one of the two in the
whole Deanery of Craven which are mentioned in
Doomsday. The fabric of the church, however,
appears to have been almost entirely renewed in the
reign of Henry VIII. The choir is extended to an un-
usual length, from which circumstance it has acquired
with the vulgar, the name of the Lang Kirk in Craven.
In the windows are considerable remains of painted
glass. In the present nave, but on the north side of
the original choir, are the tomb and cumbent statue
of Sir Robert de Steeton, in link-mail, with his arms
upon his shield. The statue is an exact counterpart
of that of his cotemporary Sir Adam de Middleton, at
Ilkly, and as both are wrought in Haselwood stone,
of which York cathedral is built. Dr. Whitaker sup-
poses they were executed at that place.
The bridge of Kildwick was built by the canons of
Bolton, in the reign of Edward II.
At Kildwick we pass under an aqueduct of the
Leeds canal.
Five miles from Kildwick is Keighley, situated on
the navigable river Aire, in a valley surrounded with
hills. Cotton, linen, and worsted manufactures have
been carried on here with great spirit, and much
worsted unmanufactured has been sold at Bradford
and Halifax. Out of 6000 inhabitants, a considerable
portion derived their support from the manufactures
here during the late war.
In 1770 the church underwent a thorough repair,
and was made uniform. In the north isle are two
grave stones, each of which has a cross, and one a
sword, and two shields of arms. The higher nearly
M 2
124 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
effaced, the lovvei- charged with a cross fleury and
circumscribed :
ei'*a'o,D'mum?juu
This date of 1023, if the cyphers have not been de-
faced by time or accident, and restored by some
careless hand, refers to the reign of Canute the Great!
Few churches can boast of a sepulchral monument of
such antiquity.
At Elam Grange, near this town, a large quantity
of Roman Denarii was found in 1775.
BiNGLEY, about two miles to the left of our road,
is a good market-town, between Bradford and Reigh-
ly. It is tolerably well built of brick and stone, and
consists chiefly of one long street, in which the market
is held on Tuesday. The late census made the
population of Bingley, 4782. The situation, upon
a dry hill between two delightful vales, is salu-
brious and pleasant, and the country, to the distance
of two or three miles is well wooded, and beautiful.
Near Morton, a lordship in this parish, was discovered
one of the most valuable deposits of Roman coin ever
turned up in Britain. It consisted of a very large
quantity of denarii, in excellent preservation ; for the
most part of Septimus Severus, Julia Domma, Cara-
calla and Geta, contained in the remains of a brass
chest, which had probably been the military chest of
a Roman legion, and deposited upon some sudden
alarm, in a situation which it had quietly occupied
during a period of almost sixteen centuries.
Bingley Church is a plain decent structure, as
restored in the earliest part of the reign of Henry VIII.
Bingley and Keighleyare both situated upon the Aire,
in the southern part of Airedale. About Bingley the
scenery is rich and woody, commanding two vaUies
almost equally beautiful. The soil on the levels near
Bingley is a lime-stone gravel, evidently brought down
by torrents at some remote period, from the great
native masses of calcareous rock at the source of the
river. The soil is dry. but shallow; the pasture ground
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 12S
of course suffers from the effects of the drouglit in
summer; but grain, for the same reason, attains an
earlier maturity than in any part of the vale above.
FromBingley to Keighley, a distance of about three
miles, the woods are very beautiful.
The introduction ofmanufacturesiutoKeighley and
its immediate neighbourhood, robbed the parish of its
sylvan beauties.
The road now passes over a rather bleak country,
but full of people. Houses and cottages are every
where to be seen in great numbers, as far as the eye
can reach; and little has been attended to by the
inhabitants beside the woollen manufacture, for which
this district was particularly noted. It afforded labour
and bread to innumerable families,who quitted their own
counties in hopes of finding an increase of wages here.
At twelve miles from Keighley we reach Halifax,
which is situated eight miles south-west of Brad-
ford, and twelve miles nearly south of Keighley, on
the western declivity of a deep valley. The town
is about three quarters of a mile in length from east
to west, but extremely irregular in breadth; the streets
are narrow and rather crooked, though the houses
are in general well built, partly of stone, and partly
of brick. The use of the latter material has only
been brought into fashion since about the middle of
the last century. But as stone is exceedingly plentiful
in the environs of Halifax, it is difficult to conceive
how brick can be the cheaper material. It seems that
the inhabitants of Settle, Skipton, Keighley, Bradford,
&c., make a different calculation. These towns, with
the gentlemen's houses, are almost entirely built of
stone, and in the villages, scarcely any brick is to be
seen, either in the most elegant mansions, or the
meanest cottages. Whatever may be their reason,
the people of Halifax, though living in a land of stone,
seem to have a strong predilection for brick.
Halifax has a good market on Saturday, where,
beside provisions, &c. ; considerable quantities of
woollen cloths of different kinds are sold. About the
M 3
126 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
jmiddle of the fifteenth century, Halifax is said to have
consisted only of thirteen houses; but in 1566, the
number had increased to 520, and since that time it
has considerably more than trebled. Camden, who
visited these parts about 1574, says the extensive
parish of Halifax has under it, eleven chapels, two of
which are parochial, and about 12,000 men in it;
" whereas in the most populous and fruitful places of
England elsewhere, one shall find thousands of sheep,
but so few men in proportion, that one would think
they had given place to sheep and oxen, or were de-
voured by them."
The Calder navigation passes quite through the
parish of Halifax, and within less than two miles of
the town. It joins the Rochdale and Manchester
canal, near Sowerby bridge, and thus opens to this
manufacturing district, a communication by water,
both with the eastern and western coast.
From the vast extent of this parish, it has been
urged that for a long time after the Conquest it had
been only a desert. The name of Halifax is not even
mentioned in Doomsday-book, and it was no doubt,
that, on account of its unfruitfulness, there never was
any monastery or religious house in the whole parish.
The church stands near the east end of the town,
the choir directly fronting the entrance from Wake-
field. It a large Gothic structure, sixty-four yards
long and twenty in breadth, and is supposed to have
been originally buitby the Earl of Warren and Surrey,
in the reign of Henry I. The remains of the nave of
the old church are only sixty-six feet in length; and
the chancel seems to have been an addition. The
steeple is known to have been begun in 1450, and
finished in 1470, by the munificence of the families of
Saville and Lacy. This tower is well proportioned,
and is said to be 117 feet in height from the ground
to the top of the pinnacles. Rokeby's chapel, on the
south side, was erected according to the Will of Dr.
Wilham Rokeby, vicar of Halifax, and afterwards
Archbishop of Dublin, who died Nov. 29, 1521, and
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 127
ordered that his bowels and heart should be buried in
the choir of this church, and that this chapel should
be erected and used as a chantry. It is eleven yards
and a quarter in length, and five and a quarter in
breadth. The chapel on the south side of the church
is above sixteen yards and a half in length, and about
five and a quarter broad. An inscription says, that
Robert Holdsworth, LL. D., the twelfth vicar, built
it in the year 1554, at his own proper expence. To
the twelve chapels in the parish, the vicar of Halifax
appoints the curates; the chapels of EUand and Hepto-
stell, however, enjoy the parochial privileges of burying !
Nathaniel Waterhouse, of Skilcoat, Salter, who
died 1641, founded an alms-house in this town, for
twelve old people; a blue-coat hospital for tsventy
poor children, the overseer whereof has 45/. per
annum. He also bequeathed yearly salaries to the
ministers of tlie several chapels, of 0,1. 31. AL and 5/.;
a legacy to the free-school established by Queen
Elizabeth, and a house for the lecturer. These be-
quests, with money for the repair of the banks,
amount to 300/. per annum. The grammar-school in
Skilcoat, founded by Queen Elizabeth, in 1585, is
well endowed.
The shalloon trade was introduced into this town
about the beginning of the last century, and what
are called figured stuffs and draw-boys, within the
latter half of it. Formerly much bone-lace was made
in Halifax, but this trade afterwards declined, till it
was again revived so as to become no inconsiderable
branch. In the year 1724, frame-work-knitting was
introduced, and much has been done in this line.
But for some time past the staple manufacture of the
place and neighbourhood has been tammies, shalloons,
draw-boys, best known under the title of figured last-
ings, and Amen's superfine quilled everlastings, double
russets, and Serges de Nisme, and du Rome. These
are all made from combing wool; and are brought in
the unfinished state to the Piece-Hall, where the
merchants attend every Saturday to purchase. Of
128 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
these goods very few in proportion are sold inland*
Large quantities go to all the European continent, and
from thence to all parts of the globe. Many shalloons
go by land to London, for the Levant trade.
Great quantities of kerseys, halfthicks, bookings
and baize, are made in the neighbourhood of Sowerby.
The whole of the British navy is clothed from this
source. Large quantities are also in time of peace sent
to Holland, and some to America^
But the most flourishing branch of manufacture is
that of cloth and coatings, introduced about twenty
years ago, by a few persons of enterprize, who at a
great expence erected mills on the Calder, and other
smaller streams, the falls of water in this uneven
country, being very favourable for the purpose.
For the convenience of trade, the manufacturers
some years_ since erected an elegant edifice, called
the Piece-Hall, or Manufacturers'-Hall, at an expence
of 12,000/. It is in the form of an oblong square,
occupying ten thousand square yards, and containing
three hundred and fifteen distinct rooms for the lodg-
ment of goods which are exposed to sale once a week,
only two hours on the market day, from 10 o'clock
to 12. The form of this building is well adapted to
its use, and unites elegance, convenience and security.
The declivity ofthe ground, though not great, yet form-
ing a large space, obliged the architect to raise one
half of the building three, the other only two, stories
high ; but the avenues to the rooms being by a cor-
ridor, or piazza, supported by columns or pillars of
ditferent orders round the interior of the building,
(the exterior bein^ for greater security, a plain blank
wall), a spectator placed in the centre of the area has
a distinct view of every room in the building, which
forms altogether a striking coup d'ail.
The market days at Halifax, besides the cloth
market, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays; but
Halifax is not a market town by charter, but by
prescription.
.Halifax is in the centie of the woollen manufac-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DLSCRIPTIGPT. 129
tory, and enjoys the benefit of water-carriage to Hull,
along the Calder, from Sowerby-bridge in its vicinity,
and its navigable communications have been raucli
extended by the Rochdale Canal, which connects the
Calder, at Sowerby-bridge, with the Duke of Bridge-
water's Canal at Manchester, and consequently in-
cludes the neighbourhood of Halifax in the general
system of inland navigation.
Coals are found in various parts of this parish,
which covers about 150 square miles, and contains
twenty-gix townships, or hamlets, and thirteen chapels
of ease.
It is bounded by the parishes of Whalley, and Roch-
dale in Lancashire, on the west; by that of Bradford
on the north; of Burstal on the east; and of Hudders-
field on the south.
The manor of Halifax is a parcel of the very exten-
sive one of Wakefield. Great part of it was anciently
called the Liberty of the Forest of Sowerbyshire, or
of Hardwick. Within this liberty a very singular cus-
tom long prevailed, called Halifax gibbet law. It
consisted of a summary mode of trying, and capitally
punishing, felons (apparently thieves only) taken within
the liberties, with the goods found about them, or
upon their own confession; and the mode of execu-
tion was beheading, by nieans of an instrument called
a gibbet, consisting of two upright pieces of timber,
joined by a transverse piece, within which was a
square block of wood, sliding in grooves, worked in
the uprights, and armed below with an iron axe; this
being drawn up was let fall suddenly, either by pull-
ing out a pin, or cutting a cord that supported it; and
thus the malefactor's head was at once struck off. An
engine exactly of the same kind was for some tim.e in
use at Edinburgh, under the name of the Maiden ;
but whether this was the original or only a copy, is dis-
puted. It was revived with improvements, in France,
under the name of the too famous guillotine: which
was supposed to have been an original invention of
the person whose name it bears. With respect to
130 WEST RIDING OF yORKSHIRE.
this at Halifax, it seems to have been pretty freely
used, especially after it became a manufacturing town,
against the robbers of tenter-grounds. The last exe-
cutions by it were in 1650; the practice was then put
a stop to, tiie baiiitf being threatened with a prosecu-
tion if he should repeat it. Forty-nine persons had
suffered by it, from the first entries in the register in
the year 1541. A raised platform of stone, on which
the gibbet was placed, is still remaining in Gibbet-lane.
Mr. Pennant gives the following account of this
remarkable custom:
" The time when this custom took place is unknown.
Whether Earl Warren, lord of this forest, might have
estabUshed it amongst the saguinary laws then in use
among the invaders of the hunting rights, or whether
it might not take place after the woollen manufactu-
rers at Halifax began to gain strength, is uncertain.
The last is very probable; for the wild country around
the town was inhabited by a lawless set, whose depre-
dations on the c Loth-tenters, might soon stifle the
efforts of infant industry. For the protection of trade,
and for the greater terror of offenders by speedy exe-
cution, this custom seems to have been established,
so as at last to receive the force of the law; which
was, " That if a felon be taken within the liberty of
the Forest of Hardwick, with goods stolen out or
within the said precincts, either Aanrf-habend, back-
berand, or confessioned, that is, having it in his hand,
bearing it on his back, or confessing the fact. If to
the value of thirteenpence halfpenny, he shall, after
three market-days, or meeting-days, within the town
of Halifax, next after such his apprehension, and
being condemned, be taken to the gibbet, and there
Jiave his head cut from his body."
"The offender had always a fair trial; for as soon
as lie was taken he was brought to the lord's bailiff,
at Halifax; he was then exposed on the three markets,
(which here were held thrice in a week), placed in a
stocks, with the goods stolen on his back; or, if the
theft was of the cattle kind, they were placed by him;
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 131
and this was done both to strike terror into others,
and to produce new informations against liim. The
bailiff then summoned four freeholders of each town
within the forest, to form a jury. The felon and pro-
secutors were brought face to foce; the goods, the
cow, or horse, or whatsoever was stolen, produced.
If he was found guilty he was remanded to prison,
had a wreck's thne allowed for preparation, and then
was conveyed to this spot, where his head was struck
off by this machine.
"This privilege was freely used during the reign of
Elizabeth; the records before that time were lost.
Twenty-five suffered in her reign, and at least twelve
from the year 1623 to 1650; after which, I believe,
the privilege was no more exerted.
" This machine of death is now destroyed ; but I
saw one of the same kind in a room under the parlia-
ment house at Edinburgh, where it was introduced
by the Regent Morton, who took a model of it as he
passed ihrough Halifax, and at length suffered by it
himself. — It is in the form of a painter's easel, anil
about ten feet high. At four feet from the bottom is
a cross bar, on which the felon lays his head, which
is kept down by another placed above. In the inner
edges of the frames are grooves; in these is placed a
sharp axe, with a vast weight of lead, supported at
the very summit with a peg; to that peg is fastened a
cord, which the executioner cutting, the axe falls,
and does the affair effectually, without suffering the
unhappy criminal to undergo a repetition of the stroke,
as has been the case in the common method. If the
sufferer is condemned for stealing a horse or a cow^,
the string is tied to the beast, which, on being whip-
ped, pulls out the peg, and becomes the executioner."
It seems that theft was very common in the neigh-
bourhood of Halifax, and that the law was rigidly
executed, especially when the comparatively small
number of the population at that period is considered.
The list of executions, indeed, as INIr. Watson ob-
serves, is so formidable, that tlicre is no reason to
132 WEST RIDING OF YOIIKSHIRE.
wonder at the proverbial petition of thieves and vaga-
bonds — *' From Hell, Hull, and Halifax, good Lord
deliver us." Among; the celebrated persons who have
been natives of Hahfax, are Dr. John Tillotson, who
afterwards became Archbishop of Canterbury; St.
Henry Saville, a man hi£;hly skilled in the mathema-
tics and the Greek language; and David Hartley
M.A. a celebrated phvsician, who acquired a great
reputation from his medical and metaphysical works,
especially his Observations on Man, his Frame, Du-
ties, and his Expectations, 1749.
Tiiree miles from Halifax we pass through Ealand,
a small township in the parish of Halifax, pleasantly
situated on the south banks of the Calder. The vil-
lage is large, and is the only one in the whole parish
which ever had the privilege of holding a market by
charter. This charter, (which has long been lost}, was
dated 10 Edward I. when that king, at the request of
John de Warren, Earl of Warren and Surrey, granted
to John de Eland, (afterwards Sir John), a free mar-
ket on Tuesday at his manor of Eland, and two fairs
then by six days, viz. one next day afore the eve, on
the day of the eve, and on the day of St. Peter in
Bonds. There is still a small market-cross remain-
ing, and toll is taken by the lord's steward when any
thing is offered to sale in the streets ; the fairs are also
kept up, but no markets of any consequence have
been held here for many years, owing to the great in-
crease of trade at Halifex.
Ealand Chapel is reputed to be the oldest place of
worship in the whole parish, next to Halifax church.
Some of the inhabitants here would have it believed,
that it is nearly as old as the time of the Conquest.
There is, however, no mention of a church or chapel
in Doomsday-book.
Near Stainland, another township in the parish
of Halifax, about two miles to the west of Ealand,
have been found several Roman coins. At Slack, in
tliis township, where there are many traces of an an-
cient settlement, Mr Watson places CambodukuMj
TOPOGRAPHICAL DFSCRIPT ION. 133
" Here are four closes called the cald or old fields and
crofts, adjoining to the tract of the Roman road from
Manucunium, and containing an area of twelve or
fourteen acres, watered by two brooks that unite at
the town, and curve round three sides of it. Foun-
dations of strong stone buildings, a yard tliick, drains,
piles of thick glass, urns, bones, bricks '22 inches
square, tesser.13, coins, and slips of copper, have been
discovered in all these foundations. One of the brass
coins was inscribed Cais. Aug. P. M. TR. S. C. and
reverse . . . PVBLICA. Also two Roman inscrip-
tions, one upon an altar dug up on the site of a tem-
ple, in whose ruins were Roman bricks, and on the
west side of it an hypocaust formed in the usual man-
ner of brick pillars, standing on the east side of a
small room (probably a bath) four yards by two and a
half, with a pavement of lime and pounded bricks, and
a drain at one corner.
HuuDBRSFiELD is eight miles nearly south-east from
Haliftx, and the same distance south-west of Dews-
bury. The market is held on Tuesday, and besides
provisions, &c. great quantities of woollen cloth, yarn,
and other manufactured articles, are here disposed of.
This large town contains nearly 10,000 souls, and till
after the conclusion of the late war, had been as flou-
rishing as Halifax. It has also a navigable canal called
Sir John Ramsden's, from Cooper-bridge, on the Cal-
der navigation, by which goods are brought here, or
conveyed from thence to any part of the kingdom.
This is joined on the south side of the town by the
Huddersfield canal running to Marsden, whence it
passes through a tunnel, of nearly three miles and a
half in length, and soon enters Lancashire, where it
joins the Ashton and Oldham canal, opening a com-
munication between Huddersfield and Manchester.
The church is a spacious handsome structure, but
contains nothing remarkable. The large hall at Hud-
dersfield, where the cloth is exposed to sale, was built
by Sir John Ramsden, hart, of Byrara, near Tcrrybridge.
The building is of a circidar form, two storie high;
134 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
for better security, there are no windows on the out-
side, but tlie light is admitted by windows in the in-
ner wall. A middle row ^f one story in height, and
supported by pillars, opens into the other parts and
divides the area into two courts. Above the door is
a handsome cupola, in which is a clock and bell, used
for the purpose of opening and shutting the market.
The hall is opened early in the morning, and is shut
at half past twelve at noon. The resort to this mar-
ket, of manufacturers from a large circuit in the neigh-
bourhood, and of merchants and woolsstaplers from
the towns of Leeds, Wakefield, Halifax, &:c. is amaz-
ingly numerous, and the average return of the goods
sold is supposed to be greater than that of any other
market in the kingdom, though the amount cannot be
particularly ascertained.
The parish of Huddersfield is very extensive, stretch-
ing from the river Calder on the north and north-east,
to the borders of Lancashire on the west. Its breadth
is less considerable. It contains, besides the town-
ships of Huddersfield, those of Quamby, with JJnd-
ley^ Longuood, Golian, and part of Seamanden, of
Sfavgthicaite, and of Marsden.
The market is held on Tuesday, and besides provi-
sions, &c. great quantities of woolien cloth, yarn, and
other manufactured articles, are here disposed of.
About two miles south from Huddersfield, on a high
hill near i^lmondsbury, are some vestiges of an an-
cient castle and fortification, which Camden supposes
to be the Roman Cambodunum, which we have
above mentioned to have been, according to Mr.
Watson, at Slack. He takes this castle hill to be
Saxon. Nothing Roman has been found within a
mile of it, and no Roman roads lead to it. The ad-
ditions to Gibson's Camden say there is no appear-
ance of stone or brick at Almondsbury; but large
masses of cinders or vitrified earth (one above two
feet thick every way) have been found. In 1782, in
digging for materials to mend the roads, foundations
of ancient buildings of hewn stone were found.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 135
Almondsbury in early times* was a place of some
consequence; it was a royal villa, and had a church
dedicated to St. Alban (whence the name is supposed
to have been derived), which was burnt in the wars
between Edwin, prince of the Northurabers, and
Penda King of Mercia.
At West Britton, six miles from Barnsley, in
the parish of High Hoyland, is Buitton-Hall, for-
merly the seat of Sir Thomas Blackett. The house is
a very handsome structure, beautifully situated in the
raidst of an extensive park, stocked with deer. There
is a handsome chapel at West Britton, endowed by
Sir Thomas Blackett.
Dap.ton, three miles and a half before we reach
Barnsley, is a populous village, with a handsome
church; the parish abounds with coal and thnber.
BARNSLEY,
Commonly called Black Barnsley, is the principal
town of the wapentake of Staincross. It is a mode-
rate-sized town, situated on the side of a hill, among
coal-pits and iron-works. It carries on a considerable
trade in wire and other branches of hardware. The
town is well built of stone, and it is not known from
whence it derives its name of Black Barnsley, whe-
ther from its numerous forges, which are continually
smoaking, or from the circumjacent moors, which
have indeed a very black and dreary appearance dur-
ing the greatest past of the year. The land imme-
diately about Barnsley is remarkably good, and famous
for its growth of wheat and other grain, in equal per-
fection both as to quantity and quality. Nor is the
place less to be distinguished for the goodness and
plenty of fuel. The wire manufactory is of consider-
able antiquity here, and supposed to be the best in
the kingdom, from the goodness of the materials and
the ingenuity of the artists. They manufacture two
sorts, hard and soft wire: the hard is used for the
teeth of cotton and wool cards; the soft is used for
stocking frame needles. A linen manufactory is also
N 2
136 WEST RIDING OF VOKKSIIIRE.
carried on in this town and neighbourhood ; it is sup-
posed tliat not less than five hundred looms have been
employed in weaving Imen cloth and check. There
is also a glass manutactory tor black bottles carried on
near this town, superior to any of the kind elsewhere.
The church is a hantlsome and spacious structure,
and among the charitable institutions there is a Free
Grammar School, founded and endowed by Thomas
Keresforth, gent, in the year 1665.
Two miles from Barnsley is Bank-Top, a good
post inn, from whence there is a most delightful pros-
pect, terminating on the west with a view of Weut-
\vorth Castle,
On the right of our road in the parish of Stainbo-
rotighy three miles from Barnsley, is VVentworth
Castle, the seat of Henry Vernon, esq., a most
beautiful fabric, situated on an eminence, command-
ing a fine prospect down into the north, east, and
west; and is surrounded by an extensive park. With-
in the house is a most elegant gallery, the length of
•which, from south to north, measures 180 feet by 24
withki, ornamented in a most superb stile. On the
east side of the house, in the park, runs a serpentine
canal of considerable length, with a handsome stone
bridge over it, of one arch.
Wentworth Castle occupies the site of an ancient
fortress. It was built about the year 1730, by
Thomas Earl of Strafford, a marble statue of whom,
executed by Rysbrack, stands in the centre of the
area.
WousBOROUGii is a pleasant village situated in a
beautiful dale, called Worsborough Dale, abomiding
with coal, iron-stone, and timber, and streams of
water. It has a church or chapel of ease to the pa-
rish of Darfield, founded by Sir Robert llochley, in
the reign of Henry III. Also a lectureship, and free
grammar school.
About four miles from Worsborough, is Tanker-
ley-Hall, now in ruins, an ancient seat of the
Wentworth family, situated in an extensive park, now
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 13?
belonginf^ to Earl P'itzwilliam. Two miles hence, and
the same distance from Tankerley-hall, also in ruins,
is Wentvvortli-house, the princely residence of the
Rigiit. Hon. Earl FitzwilHani, which is also about four
miles north-west of Rothcrham. In approaching this
superb mansion, the eye is struck with an object in-
teresting to every Englishman: this is the magnifi-
cejit mausoleum erected by Earl Fitzwilliam, in honour
of his uncle the late ^larquis of Jlockingham, whose
upright and patriotic conduct as a sltitesman, will
ever shine in our political annals. This monument is
built of a very fine sort of free-stone, and stands in an
elevated situation on the right of the grand entrance,
from the Rotherham road into the park. Its height
is ninety feet, and it consists of three divisions: the
first a square Doric basement; the second story is of
the same form, but of the Ionic order; each of its
four sides opening into an arch, and disclosing a beau-
tiful sarcophagus standing in the centre; on the frieze
of the entablature, over the arches, is this inscription
in Roman characters:— "This Monument was erected
by Wentworth, Earl Fitzwilliam, 1788, to the Me-
mory of Charles, Marquis of Rockingham." — This is
surmounted by a cupola supported .by twelve columns
of the same order. At each corner of the railing is a
lofty obelisk. But the most interesting part is the in-
terior of the lower story: this is an apartment rising
into a dome, supported Ijy eight columns, encircling
a white marble statue of the Marquis in his robes, as
large as life, by Nollekens. The statue stands on a
square pedestal, on one side of which are inscribed
the titles of the deceased, the other three pay a noble
tribute to his memory, in just and deserved eulogium.
The verses were composed by Frederick Montague, esq.
" Angels, whose guardian care is England, spread
Your shadowing v.ings o'er patriot Wentworth dead;
With sacred awe his hallowed ashes keep,
Where commerce, science, honor, friendship, weep :
The pious hero — deeply-sorrowing wife.
All the soft ties that blest his virtous life.
138 WEST RIDING OF YOllKSHIRE.
Gentle, intrepid, generous, wise, and just,
These heartfelt titles grace his honour'd dust.
No fields of blood by laurels ill repaid,
No plunder'd provinces disturb his shade,
But white-rob'd peace, compos'd his closing eyes.
And join'd with soft humanity her sighs:
They mourn their patron gone, their friend no more,
And England's tears his short-Iiv'd power deplore 1"
The following character in prose is given by the ce-
lebrated Edmund Burke:
" A man worthy to be held in remembrance, be-
cause he did not live for himself. His abilities, in-
dustry, and influence, were employed without inter-
ruption to the last hour of his life, to give stability to
the liberties of his country, security to its landed pro-
perty; increase to its commerce; independence to its
public counsels, and concord to its empire. These
were his ends. For the attainment of these, his po-
licy consisted in sincerity, fidelity, directness, and
constancy. In opposition, he respected the princi-
ples of government; in administration he provided
for the liberties of the people. He employed his
moments of power in realizing every thing that he
had professed in ^'popular situation, the distinguishing
mark of his public conduct. Reserved in profession,
sure in perfonnance, he laid the foundation of a solid
confidence.
'* He far exceeded all other statesmen in the art of
drawing together, vvithout the seduction of self-inte-
rest, the concurrence and co-operation of various dis-
positions and abilities of men, whom he assimilated
to his character and associated in his labours; for it
was his aim through life to convert party connection
and personal friendship, which others had rendered
subservient only to temporary views and the purposes
of ambition, into a lasting depository of his principles :
that their energy should not depend upon his life, nor
fluctuate with the intrigues of a court or with the ca-
pricious fashions among the people, but that by se-
curing a sHCcessiou in support of his maxim, the
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION, 139
British constitution might be preserved accordin}^ to
its true genius, on ancient foundations and institu
tions of tried utility.
"The virtues of his private life and those which he
exhibited in the semce of the state, were not in him,
separate principles : his private virtues, without any
change in their character, expanded with the (Occasion
into enlarged public affections. The very same tender,
benevolent, feeling, liberal mind, which in the internal
relations of life conciliated the genuine love of those
who see men as they are^ rendered liim an inflexible
patriot. He was devoted to the cause of freedom,
not because he was haughty and intractable, but be-
cause he was beneficent and humane. A sober,
unaffected, unassuming piety, the basis of all true
morality, gave truth and permanence to his virtues.
He died at a fortunate time, before he could feel by a
decisive proof, that virtue like his, must be nourished
from its own substance only, and cannot be assured
of any external support.
" Let his successors, who daily behold this monu-
ment, consider that it was not built to entertain the
eye, but to instruct the mind. Let them reflect, that
their conduct will make it their glory or their re-
proach. Let them feel, that similarity of manners,
not proximity of blood, gives them an interest in this
statue."
In the wall of this apartment, within the pillars,
are four recesses, in which are eight busts of fine
white marble, viz. to the right of the entrance are
Edmund Burke and the Duke of Portland; in the
second, Frederick Montague and Sir George Sa>7ille;
in the third, Charles James Fox and Admiral Keppel;
in the fourth, John Lee, and Lord George Cavendish.
Wentworth House is described as an elegant struc-
ture, consisting of a centre and two wings, extending
upwards of 600 feet in length. Many of the apart-
ments are extremely elegant. The hall is a qua-
drangle of 60 feet in extent, and 38 in height; a
gallery, supported by beautiful Ionic columns, projects
140 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
from the sides about ten feel; in the niches within tiJe
columns, are fine marble statues, copied from the
ancients. Other statues also ornament this apart-
ment; and the ceiling is stuccoed in compartments.
Tn the anti-room is a fine antique figure of the Egyp-
tian Isis, bearing the Lotus. In the Vandyke drawing-
room are several exquisite paintings by that artist,
and particularly the famous picture of Lord Stratford
and his Secretary. Here are also preserved some
portraits of Sir Peter Lely, D. Mytens, and Cor.
jansen. Among others in the chapel is a large and
beautiful painting of Samson slaying the Philistines,
by Luca Giordano; the head of our Saviour crowned
with thorns, by Guido; and by Spagnoletto, a boldly
expressive representation of the preparation for St.
Bartholomew's Martyrdom, in which all the horrible
grace of that master shines eminently conspicuous.
The various apartments in this man./ion are orna-
mented with many fine pictures; among the most
conspicuous is a sleeping Cupid, by Guido; Boys
blowing bubbles, and eating oysters, by Lely; a Por-
tuguese Courtezan, by Paul Giordano ; Christ taken
from the cross, by Caracci ; a portrait of Rembrandt, by
himself; a reputed original of Shakespeare, formerly
in the possession of the poet Dryden; Lucretia
stabbing herself, by Guido ; and a Magdalen, by
Titian. There are some very valuable antiques in the
Museum, and copies after them. Wentworth Park
includes an area of 1600 acres, comprising a great
variety of ground, richly clothed with wood, and
animated by fine expanses of water.
The village and chapelry of Greysbrooke, belongs
to the Wentworth family. The Roman road passes
through it, and the soil is very fertile, and abounds
in slate and coal. The late Marquis of Rockingham
had here a beautiful plantation of six acres, and a
pleasure house in it.
ROTHERHAM.
RoTHERHAM, a Considerable market and manu-
facturing town, is pleasantly situated on the banks of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 141
the River Rother, near its confluence with the Don,
over which it has a fine stone bridge. The chapel on
the bridge has been converted into a dweUing-house
for poor persons. The church, a spacious and hand-
some Gothic edifice, was built in the reign of Ed-
ward IV. Tlie town is far from being regular, the
streets being narrow ; and the houses, chiefly of stone,
have a dingy appearance. Besides a considerable
trade carried on in coals, here is an excellent market
on Monday for corn, cattle, and butchers' meat, and
two annual fairs. Every other Monday, here is a fair
for fat cattle, sheep, and pigs; and these, like the
fortnight fairs at Wakefield, are well attended by
graziers and butchers from difterent parts of the
country. A meeting-house for Dissenters was built
here in 1705; and another, of far more recent date,
is appropriated to the Methodists. The hamlet of
Masborough is separated from Rotherham only by a
bridge, and the number of inhabitants is greater than
in the latter place, and many of them have been
employed in Messrs. Walkers' celebrated iron-works,
where cannon of the largest calibre have been cast,
and almost every article of cast-iron produced ; as
bar, sheet, slit, or rod iron. Tinned plates and steel
of every sort have also been manufactured in great
quantities. The iron bridges of Sunderland and Yarm,
were cast at these founderies; and the mines on the
estates of the Earls of Effingham and Fitzwilliam,
supply the coal and iron-stone for the blast furnaces.
The Rotherham Independent Academy was opened
in the winter of 1795, under the superintendence of
the Rev. Dr. Williams. Tlie environs of Rotherham
are pleasant and picturesque, and among the seats is
Aldvvark-Hall, tlie residence of J. S. Foljarabe, esq.
Wickersley, about four miles east of Rotherham, is' a
pleasant village. Here is a stone bed peculiarly adapted
for making of grindstones.
142 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
Journey from Cliiheroe to Tadcaster ; through Gis-
burn, Skipton, Otley and Harewood.
About four miles from Clitheroe is Sallay, or
Sawley, where William Percy in 1146, built a Ciste-
trian Abbey, valued at the dissolution at 147/. per
annum. The site and demenses of this house, toge-
ther with all other manors, messuages, &c. thereto
belonging, were granted by King Henry VIII. in the
13th year of his reign to Sir Arthur D'Arcy, knight,
to be held in capite by knight's service. The manor
and demesnes of Sallay belong at present to the Right
Honourable Lord Grantham. " Enough is still left
of the church of Sallay, to shew that it has been a
plain cross, without columns, side-aisles, or chapels,
and extremely resembling the chapel of Jesus
College, in Cambridge. Great part of the nave and
transept are standing; the choir, chapter-house, &:c.
are distinctly traceable by their foundations. The
gateway, a mean building, now converted into a cot-
tage, is entire. Part of a richly ornamented taber-
nacle, wrought in it, has the common inscription:
" The close wall, including, perhaps, the richest feed-
ing pasture in this rich valley, is still distinguishable
on some places of its original height; and wrought into
the walls of the adjoining houses, are several large and
well cut shields, exhibiting the arms of Percy and
Lacy Tempest, Lacy Hamerton, and others.
" The burial place of the Percies was probably the
chapter-house, where neither stone nor brass is now
left to tell where they lie; and nothing protects their
remains, but the rubbish, which an undistinguishing
Reformation has heaped on their heads."
At Bolton-Hall, near Sawley Abbey, an ancient
mansion, formerly belonging to the Pudsey family,
are preserved the spoon, boots, and gloves of Henry VI.
left by that monarch at Bolton, either from haste and
trepidation, or as tokens of regard for the family.
The boots are of fine brown Spanish leather, lined
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 143
with deer's skin, tanned with the hair on, and about
the ancles is a kind of wadding, under the lining, to
keep out the wet. They have been fastened by
buttons, from the ancle to the knee ; the feet are re-
markably small (little more than eight inches long),
the toes round, and the soles where they join to the
heel, contracted to less than an inch diameter.
The gloves are of the same materials, and have the
same lining; they reach up, like women's gloves, to
tiie elbow ; but have been occasionally turned down
with the deer's-skin outward. The hands are exactly
proportioned to the feet, and not larger than those of
a middle-sized woman.
GiSBURN, eight miles from Clitheroe, is a small vil-
lage, having no manufactory or trade of any kind.
The church is a decent structure, with a tower, side
aisles, and choir, built of fell stone, and probably not
older than Henry Vllth or V^IIIth. The painted
glass in tliis church is of the latter period. The choir
on the north side of the chancel belongs to the Listers
of VVestby and Arnoldsbiggin; that on the south to
Sir John Lister Kaye, bart. as lord ofMidhope. It
does not appear that there was any endowed chantry
in this church.
The manor of Midhope in this parish, is one of
the most extensive and valuable grazing farms in
Craven.
The manor of Riraington, also in Gisburn parish,
has long been remarkable for a rich vein of lead ore,
which yielded a considerable portion of silver; and
several years since, a person was convicted and exe-
cuted at York for counterfeiting the silver coin, in
metal supposed to be procured from the lead of
Rimington.
The manor of Gisburn is now the property of Lord
Ribblesdale. Gisburn-park is beautifully situated at
the confluence of the Ribble, which is here very wide,
and Stockbeck. The house, with much simplicity,
has a very elegant and pleasing eftect. The lodge,
through which is the entrance into the park, is a most
144 WEST lUDINC OF YORKSHIRE.
beautiful piece of Gothic architecture, richly orna-
mented with figures, pinnacles, &c. carved with the
greatest taste and elegance, from the designs of the
present noble owner.
" In the house is a series of good portraits, among
which maybe distinguished Lord Chief Justice Lister,
of the time of Henry VIII. General Lambert, ap-
parently an original ; his son, an excellent painting,
by himself; and above, Oliver Cromwell, by Sir Peter
Lely. This gives a truer, that is a worse, idea of the
man, than any other portrait of him. It is said to have
been taken by his own order, with all the warts and
protuberances which disfigured his countenance. On
the canvas is painted the word, " Now," which pro-
bably alludes to his peremptory mandate for the imme-
diate execution of the king. This picture was brought
from Calton Hall, and seems to have been his own
present to General Lambert."
Here is also preserved the horn of a buffalo, nearly
twenty inches long, and containing about two quarts;
it is supported by three silver feet, resembling those
of a man in armour. Round the middle is a filletting
inscribed: "Qui pugnet contra tres perdet duos."
There is no tradition remaining to determine its an-
tiquity.
Gisburn-park is chiefly remarkable for a herd of
wild cattle, descendants of that indigenous race which
once inhabited the wild forests of Lancashire. This
species are white, save the tips of their noses, which
are black ; rather mischievous, especially when pro-
tecting their young. They breed with tame cattle.
Within the manor of Gisburn, on the high bank of
the Ribble, is a small, but very entire, square fort,
called Castle Haugh, and near it a barrow, which
being opened, was found to contain a rude earthern
urn.
About four miles east from Gisburn is West
Marton Hall, the residence of the Heber family,
situated in a valley, embosomed in wood. It is a
respectable old family mansion. Above, and to the
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 145
westward of Marton Hall, is Gledstone House, a
magnificent structure, begun in the life-time of the
late llichard Roundel!, esq. and finished by the Rev.
William Roundell. It is situated upon the summit
of a bold elevation, and commands the most ex-
tended, at the same time the most characteristic view
in Craven.
Proceeding on our route, we pass on the ritjht the
hamlet of Elslack, in the parish of Broughton.
Having already described the town of Skipton, and
its neighbourhood, we have nothing to notice before
we reach the village of Ilkley. In different parts of
the church-yard here, are the remains of three very
ancient Saxon crosses, curiously wrought in frets,
scrolls, knots, &c.
Ilkley was a Roman station, known to antiquaries
by the name of OUcana. Three sides of the ancient
encampment are very entire. It was situate on a
steep and lofty bank, having tlie river Wharfe on the
north side, and the deep channel of a brook, imme-
diately on the east and west. The southern boundary
seems to run in the direction of the present street,
and the hall and parish church were evidently included
within it. The foundations of the fortress, bedded in
indissoluble mortar, are very conspicuous ; and re-
mains of Roman brick, glass, and earthenware, every
where appear on the edges of the brow, but no in-
scription, or other considerable remains have been
lately discovered.
Ilkley is better known as a bathing place than as a
Roman station. The copious spring here has little
or no medicinal quality, but its extreme coldness
has been found very serviceable in relaxed and
scrofulous cases.
Otley contains about 2500 inhabitants. The church
is a spacious building, and contains several ancient
monuments, especially to the families of Fairfax,
Favvkes, Vavasour, Palmes, and Pulleyn.
The country surrounding Otley is reckoned re-
markably beautiful, and is full of gentlemen's seats.
146 WEST RIDING OF YORKSUIKE.
Between Otley and Harewood, three miles from the
latter place, at Artliingtori, was a priory of Cluniac
or Benedictine Nuns, founded by Thomas de Arthing-
ton, in the reign of King Stephen or Henry II. the
site of which upon the dissolution was granted to
Archbishop Craumer.
At the distance of eight miles from Otley, on the
line of our present route, is Harewood, a very
pleasant little town, on the river Wharfe, over which
is a stone bridge of four arches. The river itself
runs over a bed of stone, and is as clear as rock-
water.
Harewood church is situated at a small distance
from Ilarewcod-House; it is an ancient and venerable
structure, surrounded by a thick grove of trees. In
the choir are six altar tombs of white marble, with
fine whole length figures of ancient owners of the
manor, and among them that of Sir William Gascoigne
of Gawthorpe, who had the courage to commit
Prince Henry, afterwards King Henry V. to the king's
bench, for atiVonting him while he was in the seat of
justice, letting him know, that though the son might
bear the image of the king's person, the judge bore
that of his authority: and which act the prince, when
he came to be king, with true greatness of mind not
only forgave, but commended. Sir William also
shewed his integrity and intrepid spirit, by refusing
to pass a sentence upon Richard Scroop, Archbishop
of York, on a charge of high treason.
Near Harewood church is a most sumptuous house
called Gawthorp Hall, the ancient seat of the
Gascoignes, now tliat of II. Shuttleworth, esq. It is
built of fine hewn stone, is very large, and has two
grand fronts. The south front is ornamented with a
noble portico and pediment, supported by pillars.
This house stands on the side of a hill, and is to be
seen to great advantage from a hill upon the road, a
little bejond the sixth mile stone from Leeds. The
stables form a large court-yard with cloisters. In
order to have agreeable objects in view, several neat
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 147
farm-houses have been erected on various parts of the
estate near the mansion.
The dilapidated state in which Harewood castle is
seen at present, renders it impossible to describe its
ancient form and construction; but it must have been
considerable when entire, as an acre of ground around
its remains are covered with half-buried walls and
fragments of ruins.
Harewood House, though not the largest, is as
completely furnished and fitted up, as any in the
kingdom. The rooms are well arranged ; and, while
tliey are equal to what may be styled grand in a
dwelling-house, are not so great as to exclude comfort.
The park, grounds, and water, were laid out by
Mr. Brown, and discover the master. Though the
prospect is not very extensive, the rising brow in the
front of the house, with its plantations, buildings, and
the water beneath it, afford a very pleasing view.
The architect of this fine house was Mr. Carr of York,
■whose great genius, taste, and skill in his profession,
stand in no need of encomiums here.
This seat is about the distance of eight miles from
Otley, and somewhat more than six from Leeds.
The foundation was laid in the year 1760, by the late
Lord Harewood, and it is built of a very fine stone
taken from a quarry near the place. The building
displays all the richness of Corinthian architecture,
and the apartments, finished in the highest style of
elegance and taste, are richly ornamented. The plea-
sure-grounds are extensive, and the noble owner per-
mits the house to be viewed every Saturday, by
tourists, and persons of decent appearance.
To the north of Harewood, before you come to the
bridge, is a fine view of the river Wharfe, above which
are large remains of an ancient castle, which at the
Conquest belonged to Romille, whose daughter married
Meschines, from whom it carae to the Delisles, thence
to Sir William Aldburgh, and by marriage to the
Redmans, who inhabited it as their principal mansion
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and have a monu-
2
148 WEST UIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
ment in the church. The castle, from its present re-
mains, appears to have consisted of a square centre,
a north wing oblong, and two square towers at the
south-east and south-west corners. The grand entrance
was on the east side through a square tower, a little
to the north of the centre of that side. This gate
was just high enough for a man to enter on horseback :
within the gate is a groove for a portcullis. In the
hall there is a rich recess near the west wall, in the
manner of a monument;, the arcli in the centre has
many turns, with ornamental spandrils and ornaments
in the entablature.
In the room over the porch, on the east side, which
is supposed to be the chapel, built in the time of
Richard II. are carved in stone the arms of Sutton,
Baliol, Thweng, Bordesly or Grauncester, Constable,
Ross, and Vipont.
About lialfway between Harewood and Tadcaster,
two miles to the right of our road, isBRAMiiAM Moor,
where a battle was fought in 1408, between a party
of the royal troops under Sir Thomas Rokeby, sheriff
of Yorkshire, and the Earl of Northumberland. The
earl was prepared for the attack, but his followers
were soon defeated. Lord Bardolph was killed on
the field. The Abbot of Hales, being taken in armour,
was hanged : the Bishop of Bangor's life was spared,
though taken in the field, because he was dressed in
his episcopal habit. Celts have been found in Bram-
ham Moor.
At Headley, two miles south-east from Bramham,
was a priory of Benedictine Monks, or cell to the
abbey at York, founded by Hippolitus Bram, in the
reign of Henry I.
About three miles before we reach Tadcaster, on
the left of our road, is Thorp Arch, a small village on
the river Wharfe, which has of late years been much
frequented on account of it§ mineral water, sulphureous
and chalybeate. It is upwards of a century since it
was first discovered. It is usually called Boston Spa,
and is recommended in rheumatic and scorbutic cases.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 149
TADCASTER
Is situated upon both sides of the river Wharfe, and
is supposed to have been the Roman station denomi-
nated Calcaria, or Calcacester. Part of it is in the
Ainsty of York and liberty of St. Peter. The middle
of the bridge is the boundary between the West
Riding and the Ainsty. In the Civil Wars of England,
Tadcaster was ahvays regarded as a post of great
importance, and its possession often contested. In
the bloody field of Tovvton, near this place, during
the dreadful contest between the Houses of York and
Lancaster, it has been observed, " the folly of a
nation was fully fexhibited; and between 30 and 40,000
Englishmen fell in deciding the question, whether a
tyrant or an idiot should be their master."
Tadcaster has an hospital and free school, called
the School and Hospital of Jesus Christ, founded by
Dr. Oglethorp, bishop of Carlisle, who crowned Queen
Elizabeth ; but was afterwards deprived of his see for
refusing to change his religion.
The present noble stone bridge was built more than
a century ago.
Tadcaster is at present a neat well-built pleasant
town, containing a population of nearly 1800 persons.
It has a good market on Wednesday. On the south
side of the river Wharfe here, was formerly a castle.
At Helagh, three miles north from Tadcaster, an
hermitage in the wood or park, with liberty to clear
the ground, was granted to Gilbert, a monk of Mar-
mous lieu, by Bertram Haget, before the year 1202.
A church was built and some religious placed here by
liis son, and about the year 1218, a priory of regular
canons was established and endowed by Jordan de St.
Maria, and AHce his wife, who was grand-daughter
to Bertram Haget. The monastery at the dissolution
was granted to James Gage.
About two miles and a half "from Tadcaster is
Towton, a small village, near which was fought a
bloody battle in the year 1461, between the houses
o3
150 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
of York and Lancaster. A fter the pass of Ferrybridge
had been regained, Edward IV. crossed the river, and
early in the raOining of Palm-Sunday advanced towards
the Lancastrians, who to the number of 60,000 oc-
cupied the fields towards Towton and Saxton. Though
the Yorkists did not amount to 50,000, they were
chpsen men, and Edward did not entertain the least
doubt of victory ; but previous to the battle he pub-
lished an order through his array, that his soldiers
should not encumber themselves with prisoners.
About nine in the morning it began to snow, and a
sharp wind drove the sleet full in the faces of the
Lancastrians, disordering their sight in such a manner,
rhat they could not ascertain correctly the distance
between themselves and the enemy. The Lord Fal-
conbridge, who commanded part of Edward's army,
taking advantage of this accident, ordered his archers
to advance within shot of Henry's line, and let fly a
shower of an'ows, which they no sooner did than they
retreated to their former situation. The Lancastrians,
feeling the eftects of this attack, believed the Yorkists
were within their reach, and plied their bows until
their quivers were exhausted, without doing the least
execution. Then Lord Falconbridge advanced again
with his archers, who now shot their arrows without
opposition, and slew a vast number of the enemy even
with the shafts which they picked from the field after
their own quivers were emptied. The Earl of Nor-
thumberland and Sir Andrew Trollop, who com-
manded the van of Henry's army, seeing the disad-
vantage under which they laboured in this way of
fighting, advanced to close combat, and each fought
with equal courage and rancour. The battle raged
with great fury from morning till night; and Edward
exhibited such proofs of surprising courage, activity,,
and conduct, that the fate of the day depended in a
great measure on his personal behaviour, and that of
the Earl of Warwick. Towards the evening the Lan-
castrians being discouraged by the death of the Earls
of Northumberland and Westmoreland, the Lords
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 151
Dacre and Willes, Sir Andrew Trollop, and many
other officers of distinction, began to give ground,
though not in great disorder, intending to retreat to
the bridge of Tadcastcr. They accordingly preserved
their ranks, and wheeled about occasionally as they
retired, until Edward and Warwick, animating their
men to render the action decisive, they redoubled
their efforts, and charged with such impetuosity that
the Lancastrians were broken and entirely routed.
Great numbers were slain in the field of battle and in
the pursuit; but the chief carnage happened at the
snaall river Cock, Avhich disembogues itself into the
Wharfe. Thither the fugitives fled, in hope of fording
the stream; but it was so swelled with the rains as to
be rendered impassable, until a kind of bridge or
mound was formed by the dead bodies of the Lan-
castrians who were slaughtered on the banks, or
drowned in the river, which ran purple with their
blood. Nor will this circumstance appear incredible,
when we consider that above 36,000 men were killed
in this battle. The Dukes of Somerset and Exeter
escaped with great difficulty, but the Earl of Devon-
shire was taken.
Journey from Ripon to Sheffield; through Ripley,
Leeds, and Wakefield.
Ripon is a considerable market-town, situated on
a rising ground betueen the river Ure on the north,
and the little river Skell on the south, within a short
distance from their source. Over the former river,
and at a small distance from the town, is a handsome
stone bridge of seventeen arches. There are also
five other bridges within a short distance of the town,
to which a navigable canal is cut from the Ure. Here
is only one church, which is collegiate, and in some
respects parochial, as the inhabitants have the benefit
of its use without the charge of a church-rate. The
town consists almost wholly of narrow and crooked
lanes; the street leading to the church from the
market-place, being the only one that appears any
159 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
tiling like regular. The market-place however is a
handsome and spacious square, surrounded with well-
built houses, and ornamented with a beautiful obelisk,
ninety feet high, erected in the year 1781, by William
Aislabie, esq. of Studley, who represented this borough
in parliament during the long space of sixty years.
Here is also an elegant town-hall, erected in 1801,
at the ex pence of Mrs. AUason, then proprietor of
Studley-Royal. The Free Grammar-School here was
endowed in 1553 by King Philip and Queen Mary.
Here is also a public dispensary, Sunday Schools, a
School of Industry, besides four hospitals, three of
which are of very ancient foundation ; viz. St. Mary
Magdalen, inhabited by six poor women ; St. John,
appropriated to two ; and St. Anne, which has re-
venues for the relief of eight women, each of whom
have a habitation and an allowance of 3/. 15s. per
annum. Jepson's Hospital was founded by Zacharias
Jepson, of York ; here twelve poor boys are main-
tained, clothed, and educated. Here is also a new
theatre, built by the late George Hassel, esq. and
opened in August 1792. Ripon has a good market
on Thursday.
This town was once so much celebrated for its
manufacture of spurs, that, "As true steel as Ripon
rowels," became a proverbial expression, when speak-
ing of a man of fidelity, honesty, or intrepidity. The
woollen manufacture also flourished here formerly to
a considerable extent. Ripon is among the most
ancient boroughs of England, having sent members to
parliament in the 23d year of Edward I. At present
the number of voters is about 146, and the Mayor is
the returning officer.
The origin of the town is without doubt to be re-
ferred to a very ancieiit aera. Its proximity to the
Roman city Isurium, now Aldborough; and the va-
rious Roman roads which pass it at no great distance
on each side, with the peculiar beauties and advan-
tages of its situation, might lead us to imagine that it
was not wholly unknown to that people ; but as none
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 153
of these roads take their course through the town, it
precludes the supposition that it ever was a Roman
station.
Soon after the declension of the Roman power in
this country, we find it in a flourishing state, having a
monastery founded by Eata, abbot of jNIelross, of
which we shall hereafter give a more particular de-
scription.
Ripon received its first charter of incorporation in
the fourteenth year of the reign of Alfred the Great.
Its government was then vested in a chief magis-
trate, under the name of a vigilarius, or wakeman,
1 2 elders, and 24 assistants, the former of whom some
authors have bfeen very erroneously led to imagine,
derived his title from watch and ward liaving been
kept here, asserting that the town was inclosed by
walls; but of this opinion there seems to be no con-
finnation. The foundations of such walls, or the
smallest traces of them, having never yet been dis-
covered.
It was the duty of the vigilarius, or wakeman, to
cause a horn to be blown every night at nine o'clock ;
after which, if any house or shop was robbed before
sun-rise next morning, the sufferer received a com-
pensation for the loss, from an annual tax of four-
pence levied upon every inhabitant, whose dwelling
had but one, and of eightpence where it had two
outer doors, from which latter circumstance double
danger might be suspected. The tax, together with
the good effects arising from it, is now fallen into dis-
use, but the custom of blowing the horn is continued
to this day.
The town of Ripon had scarcely recovered the in-
jury it sustained from the Danes, and begun again to
flourish, when in A. D. 947 it suffered, if possible, a
more extensive devastation, in the war of extirpation
which King Edred waged against those turbulent peo-
ple, irritated by their rebellious and faithless conduct.
In A. D. 948 he commenced the desolation of tjjeir
towns and villages, and amongst others he destroyed
154! WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE,
this place by a general conflagration, with all lis
public buildings.
By tlie exertions of its former inhabitants, and tiie
encouragement of Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury,
the town was rebuilt in 950, and again began to
flourish.
After the siege of York, 1069, William the Con-
queror ravaged an extent of territory, part of the
Northumbrian kingdom, sixty miles in length, and
llipon, with the adjacent country, was so completely
destroyed, that, sixteen years after, when the Dooms-
day survey was made, it remained waste and uncul-
tivated.
The peace, however, which succeeded, enabled the
town once more to revive, and it continued undis-
turbed until the reign of Edward II. when the Scots,
under the command of Robert Bruce, in 131C, after
making themselves masters of the most important
fortresses of the north, marched into this place, and
after remaining three days, imposed, and with diffi-
culty levied upon the inhabitants a tribute of One
Thousand Marks; remembering their former good
fortune, and elated with the hopes of similar success,
they returned the following year, and demanded the
same ransom ; which the people being unable to raise,
the invaders entirely destroyed the town by fire, and
massacred the greatest part of the inhabitants.
Soon after this calamity, and a stop being put to
the incursion of the Scots, llipon, by the liberal do-
nations of the Archbishop of York, and the neigh-
bouring gentry, together with the industry of itsm-
habitants, was in a few years restored to a flourish-
ing condition, and even for a short time became the
residence of the court; for in the year 1405, King
Henry IV. being obliged to leave London, on ac-
count of the plague, retired to Ripon, with his whole
court.
In the year 1604 the civil constitution of the town
was changed, and, by the exertions of Mr. Hugh
Ripley, a charter of incorporation was obtained from
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 155
King James I. vesting the municipal government in
a mayor, recorder, and twelve aldermen, assisted by
twenty-four common-council men, and a town clerk,
«ith the subordinate offices of two serjeants-at-
mace.
In 1667, the Lord Protector of England granted to
the borough of Ripon, his letters-patent for holding
a fali every alternate week.
The mayor is elected annually on the first Tuesday
in January, and enters upon the duties of his office
on the second of February following. The better to
support his station he has the toll of corn and grain
sold in the market, called the hand-law, or j?iarket-
sweepings, which was enjoyed by the wakeman, pre-
vious to the Conquest, and was confirmed to the
corporation in the year 1532-3, by King Henry VIII.
The ancient church of Ripon was first established
for canons of St. Augustine, and was dissolved by
Henry VIII. The chantries were afterwards dissolv-
ed by Edward V^I. James I. in the second year of
his reign, refounded the church, and endowed it
with part of its former revenues. It is dedicated to
St. Peter and St. Wilfrid, and the foundation consists
of a dean, sub-dean, and six prebendaries; out of
these the dean, upon a vacancy, elects the subdean ;
and, as to the prebendaries, the dean and chapter
nominate three persons to the Archbishop of York,
who must collate one of them.
The church is a noble Gothic structure, tolerably
entire, but visibly erected and altered at different
period.s, in several instances exhibiting curious changes
from the Saxon to the Gothic style of buildiug.
At the west end, which presents a rich specimen
of the Gothic style, are two uniform square towers,
110 feet high, on each of which, at the rebuilding of
the church by Archbishop Thurlston, was placed a
spire of timber, covered with l^ead, of the height of
120 feet; but these were removed in the year 1797,
by order of the chapter, and the materials sold. At the
same time were added open battlements, with pinnacles
156 WEST niDING OF YORKSHIRE.
at each corner. In 1804 also, the inside walls of the
church were repaired and coloured. The floor of the
clmrch has been entirely re-laid, and chiefly new-
flagged.
The two side aisles were probably added to tlie
body of the church about the time of Richard III. or
the beginning of the reign of Henry VII, The choir
was likewise extended to the east; and about the
same time several windows were lengthened and al-
tered from the round to the pointed arch. Two of
the four large Saxon arches, supporting the great
tower (called Wilfrid's), which is 110 feet high,
were changed to the pointed arch, and two of the
pinnacles, with part of the raised battlements which
were then added, still remain.
Upon Saint Wilfrid's tower stood also a noble spire
1'20 feet high, but of much larger dimensions than
those before described, which was blown down on
the eighth of December, 1660. By the fall of the
spire the arched roof of the choir was entirely broken
in, the fine Gothic canopies over several of the stalls
were destroyed, and the body of the church received
so much damage, that the estimate for rebuilding the
steeple, and other necessary repairs, amounted to
the sum of six thousand pounds and upwards; for
this a brief was ohtained the same year, (12th
Charles II.) With the money collected upon it, and
other contributions, the church underwent a com-
plete repair. The knots or centre blocks of the groined
roof, which also was then broken in, are still pre-
served in the chapter-house, and exhibit very curious
specimens of carving in oak, of figures, foliage, &c.
A considerable part of the present minster was
begun in 1331, ?nd finished in 1494, as appears from
dates in the choir, so that from the beginning to the
end of the work, there was a space of one hundred and
sixty-three years.
From the west entrance on each side of the body
are six pillars, including the corner pillars in both
numbers, which fortn five arches; on the second
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 157
pillar, at the west end of the north aisle, are two
shields of arms cut in stone, one containing the arms
of the town, the other those of the Picard family,
who were great benefactors to tlje repairs of the
fabric in the time of Edward III. On the south wall
of the choir are also the arms of the Picards, and
some other benefactors, supposed to be of tiie same
date.
The choir is separated from the other part of the
church by a partition screen of stone, nearly twenty
feet high, and ornamented with curious carved work ;
in the middle of it is the door into the choir, over
which is placed the organ.
At the west entrance into the choir are stalls for
the dean, sub-dean, and prebendaries, enriched with
much carved work, similar to those in the cathedral
at York; of these the dean's stall is on the right, and
the sub-dean's on the left hand of the entrance ; tlie
rest are assigned to tiie prebendaries, by a label over
each. They %vere begun in the year 1489, and
finished in the year 1491, at the charge, as is supposed,
of Archbishop Rotherham.
There are thirteen other stalls on the north side of
the choir, appropriated to the use of the mayor and
aldermen; on the south side are the archbishop's
throne, and eleven other stalls, generally occupied by
the common-council men of the borough, and below
on each side of the choir, are seats for the vicar'i-
coral, singing-men, choristers, and inhabitants.
The seats in the stalls are all of oak, and when
turned up, exhibit different richly carved representa-
tions of animals, figures, and foliage. The finials
before the stalls, and the crockets to the seats, are of
exquisite workmanship, particularly those at the
dean's, sub-dean's, and archbishop's seats, as are also
two small canopies, one near the mayor's, the other
adjoining the archbishop's seat.
In the transept, to the north, near the entrance
into the choir, stands a stone pulpit of curious work-
manship.
p
158 WEST RIDING OF YORKSIirilE.
The following are the dimensions of the church:
Feet. Inches.
Length of the nave, within the walls ••171 9
Length of the choir 99
Length of the whole fabric, within • • • . 270
Breadth of the nave, and side aisles • • • • 87
Breadth of the choir 67
Height of the nave, to the ridge 88 6
Height of the choir, to the ridge 79
Length of the transept 132
Breadth of the transept i 36
Breadth of St. Wilfrid's tower, from east to
west • • • ' 33 6
Breadth of ditto, from north to south • • 32 5
Length of the vestry 28 6
Breadth of ditto 18 6
Length of the Chapter-house 34 8
Breadth of ditto 18 8
Above the chapter-house is the Library, consisting
chiefly of ancient books of divinity, with a few classi-
cal works, and some manuscripts. St Wilfrid's needle,
is a passage leading to a small chapel under the pave-
ment of the great tower. This chapel, or crypt, is
ten feet and a half in length, seven feet and a half
in breadth, and nine feet high, and is supposed to
have been used for the services of the Holy Week,
and probably for penitentiary purposes.
The Altar-piece is a curious perspective painting,
representing a fine colonnade; but unfortunately it
exhibits a ditferent order of architecture from that of
the church.
The whole of the east window was formerly filled
with painted glass, much of which was destroyed by
the soldiers, under the command of Sir Thomas
Mauleverer, anno 1643. What parts of the broken
glass could be collected, were replaced in the win-
dow, and the whole renewed with painted glass, exe-
cuted by the late W.Peckitt, of Yoi^.
In the middle compartment of this window, are
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 159
the arms of James I., ^vith an inscription commemo-
rating the restoration and re-endowment of this Colle-
giate Church by that monarch: here are also the
arms of William Markham, late Archbishop of York ;
of Peter Johnson, esq., late Recorder of York, and
Judge 01 the Dean and Chapter's Court at Ripon,
with those of Dean Waddilove. In the other com-
partments are the arms of Beilby Porteus, late Lord
Bishop of London ; of J. Robinson, Lord Bishop of
London, and Ambassador to the Hague at the Treaty
of L^trecht; of the Lords Grantham and Grautley; of
Blackett and Ligleby, barts.; those of the church and
town, and some of the Deans and Prebendaries.
There are many handsome monuments in the
church, and several of considerable antiquity. In
the north cross aisle, on an ancient altar-tomb of free-
stone, are two whole length figures, and upon the
sides are shields with the arms of Neville, Scrope,
Strafford, and others, which, however, are much de-
faced. In the south aisle of the nave, on a grey
marble altar-tomb of very ancient workmanship, are
represented the figures ofamanand a lion, in a grove
of trees. No legible inscripti.^n is at present to be
found upon it, but the tradition is, that it was placed
over the body of an Irish Prince, who died at Ripon,
when returning from his travels.
The sepulchral monuments, upon the whole, are
too numerous to be detailed here. Many belong to
the Blacketts, Kitchenmans, Redsdales, Wanleys,
Oxleys, the Norton s of Sawley, the Weddels of
Nevvby, the ^Nlallories and Aislabies of Studley,
the Markenfields, &:c. The design of a monument
here, to the memory of W. Weddel, esq. of Newby,
is taken from the lanthorn of Demosthenes, at Athens.
The Chapter-house also contains a handsome monu-
ment, after a design of Bacon, to the memory of Anne
Hope Darley, consort of the Rev. Dr. Waddilove.
This monument also commemorates two of their chil-
dren. The Vestry, and the Chapter-house, on the
south side of the choir, seem to be by far the m.ost
P 2
160 WEST RIDING OF YORKSIIIRr.
ancient parts of the buildinj^, and might be taken for
some remains of St. Wilfrid's original church.
In the Chapter-house are several paintjjigs on pan-
nels, representing Edward 11., Richard II., Henry IV.,
V:, and VI., James I. ; his Queen and his son Prince
Henry, elder brother of Charles I.; Richard III., and
Elizabeth his consort; Henry VIII.; Catherine Parr,
Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Edward IV., and Queen
Mary. Here are also preserved several antique curi-
osities found in different parts of the fabric.
" Ripon church (Mr. Bigland observes) has of late
received considerable embellishments, through the
laudable exertions of the present Dean, Dr. Waddi-
love, whose constant attention has been to repair and
adorn this venerable structure. IBeside the renewal
of the east window, he added, in the year 1797, open
battlements to the towers, with pinnacles to each
corner; and in 1804, repaired the inside walls of the
church. He also caused the floor to be entirely re-
laid, and for the most part new flagged. In short, it
is to his good taste, and his active superintendence,
that the fabric owes its present superb appearance.'*^
Among the many charitable institutions in this
town, we have first to notice :
The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, in Stamner-
gate, was endowed by Thurstou, Archbishop of
York, in the time of Henry the First, for lepers. This
hospital was at its institution under the government
of sisters, assisted by a chaplain, and appropriated
for the relief of persons afflicted with the leprosy ;
and to prevent the contagion from reaching the inha-
bitants of the town, this building was erected about
two furlongs from it. Bat when leprosy became less
frequent, it was converted to the use of sisters and
brethren, under the superintendence of a master, who
was bound to relieve distressed clergy, and the poor.
This hospital at present consists of a range of
buildings, divided into six separate dwellings, and
is now inhabited by six poor widows, who have their
situation, together with the yearly allowance of
TOPOGRAPHICAL BESCRIPI ION, 161
three pounds each for life, together with the rent of
the field adjoining to the hospital. The chapel is on
the east side of the road. The hospital was rebuilt
by Hooke.
Divine service is still performed in the chapel on
the Sunday after the 22d of July, and on the feasts of
St. John and St. Thomas.
The mastership of it is in the gift of the Archbishop
of York; to which the Dean of Ripon, for the tune
being, has of late years been appointed.
The Hospital of St. John Baptist was founded by
one of the archbishops of York, early in the reign of
King John ; but for wliat number of poor does not
now appear. This building is small, and at present
appropriated to the habitation of two poor sisters, who
have each an annual allowance of one pound seven
shillings and sixpence. Near the hospital is a chapel,
dedicated to St. John Baptist, in which divine service
was celebrated every Sunday until the year 1722.
In it was a chantry said to be founded by John Sher-
wood, who also founded a chantry in Hipon church,
and is buried near the steps to the altar, under an old
uninscribed grave-stcme. The Archbishop of York is
patron of this hospital, which is st}'led the Hospital of
St. John the Baptist, in Bond-gate, in the parish of
Ripon.
The Hospital of St. Anne, sometimes called ' Mai-
son de Bieu,' is said to have been founded by some
of the Nevills, in the reign of Edward IV. On the
outside of the building are the arms of Sir Solomon
Swale, with initial letters and a date, " S. S. 1G54."
When James I. came to Ripon, April 15, 1617, he
was presented by tiie corporation with a gilt bow and
a pair of spurs; the latter article cost 5/. Ripon
spurs might be forced through a half-crown.
A navigable canal comes up to the town, by which
coals are brought and merchandize conveyed to and
from York, Hull, London, &c.
"There are several mills for various purposes,
p3
162 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
erected upon streams branching from the rivers Skell
and Laver; one of these streams runs through a street
called Skillgate; from this the town is well supplied
with excellent water, by means of an engine erected
at the expence of William Askwith, esq. by which
water is conveyed into every house at a small annual
rent. Numerous springs, in and near the town, add
to the many benefits it receives from the nature of its
situation ; two of these are inclosed for cold baths,
and a third, of very fine water is received into a bason
in a kind of alcove. This was erected at the ex-
pence of the late Wm. Richardson, M.D. with this
inscription:
" Utilitate Publicae.
A. C. MDCCLVIIir
The Archbishop of York has a criminal court and
priscm for the liberty of Ripon; the court-house and
prison stands on the north-side of the church, on the
site of the palace ; the Archbishop of York is lord, and
custos rotulorum of this liberty, and on the nomina-
of the archbishop, and by his Majesty's commission ;
justices of the peace are appointed, who in conjunc-
tion with the mayor and recorder, hold a sessions
here, and act in as judicial a manner for the towns and
districts within the liberty, as the justices for the se-
veral ridings within the county. Besides the sessions
there is a court of common pleas, called the court mi-
litary, held here on the Monday in every third week,
for the trial of all civil causes arising within the li-
berty, in which the archbishop's learned steward, ap-
pointed by patents, presides as judge.
The court-yard in front of the prison is open and
airy, being 80 yards by 50. Felons have not the pri-
vilege of walking in it, the wall which encloses it being
only six feet high.
The dean and chapter have also a prison, and hold
a court of pleas here, called the canon fee court, on
the Tuesday in every third week, for the recovery of
debts, and the trial of civil causes arising within the
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 163
manor, which extends over some parts of the town,
and likewise includes the townships of Aismunderby,
with Bondgate, Skelton, Markington with Waller-
thwaite, and Nunwick with Howgrave.
The remains of a very ancient custom is still gene-
rally observed by the inhabitants of this town. On
Midsummer-eve, every housekeeper, who has in that
year changed his residence, into a new neighbour-
hood, (there being certain limited districts called
neighbourhoods), spreads a table before his door in
the street, with bread, cheese, and ale, for those who
chuse to resort to it, where after staying awhile, if the
master is of ability, the company are invited to supper,
and the evening is concluded with mirth and good
humour. The origin of this custom is unknown, but
it probably was instituted for the purpose of introdu-
cing new comers to an early acquaintaince with their
neighbours; or it may have been with the more laud-
able design of settling differences by the meeting and
mediation of friends.
The feast of St. Wilfrid is celebrated annually, and
continues nearly a week. On Saturday after Lammas-
day, an effigy of the prelate is brouglit into the town,
preceded by music; the people go out to meet it,
and with every demonstration of joy, commemmorate
the return of their former patron from exile. The
next day is dedicated to him, being called St. Wil-
frid's Sunday.
At the east end of the town, and not far from the
minster, is a remarkable tumulus, commonly called
Ellshaw, or Ailcey Hill, made up of human skele-
tons, laid in regular order, greatly decayed, discerni-
ble from the bottom to the top of the hill. Camden
says in his time it was called Hill Shaw. Its shape is
conical; the circumference at the base is about 900
feet, the length of the side near the road is about 222
feet. The tradition is, that it was raised by the Danes ;
others have conjectured the hill to be formed of the
rubbish of a monastery, ruined in the contests of the
Danes and Saxons; but the vast quantity of human
164 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
bones found in digging it, without the least appear*
ance of any mortar or cement, leaves no room to
doubt that it was a repository of the dead. We are,
liowever, inclined to adopt the opinion of Mr. Tho-
resby, who, speaking of the coins of i£lla, Osbright,
Alfred, Ealred, and Ethelred, found at Ripon, A. D.
1695, and transmitted to ^him by the Archbishop of
YoKk, concludes that it derives its name from ^Ua,
King of Northumberland.
The Danes and other northern people used in this
manner to inter those who fell in battle.
At what time or on what occasion this monument
was formed, must still remain uncertain; but it is
highly probable that the vast number of bodies de-
posited here, have been of persons who fell in some
dreadful conflict near this place, so often the seat of
war and calamity.
The environs of Ripon are pleasant; the air is mild
and salubrious; and the surrounding country is rich,
fertile, well wooded, in a high ?itate of cultivation, and
interspersed with villages and seats of the nobility and
gentry. Among these, Studley Royal, and Nevvby-
hall, must be considered as the great ornaments of the
neighbourhood.
Studley Royal, the seat of Miss Lawrence, is a com-
modious and elegant house; the apartments are excel*
Icntly finished, and adorned with a good selection of
pictures by the most distinguished masters. The
prospects from the house are irregular and pleasing,
and the park is enlivened by herds of deer. Beyond
the extensive woods and plantations, Ripon minster
and part of the town appear in view. The pleasure-
grounds, at least three quarters of a mile from the
house, lie in a valley, through which a small brook
runs from Fountain's Abbey, and the hills on each
side are covered with wood. These ruins of a far-
famed monastery are more perfect, and contain many
more marks of the original structure, than those of
many structures in England. The west end of the
church is tolerably entire, and is composed of widely
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 165
pointed arches and massy Norman columns. The
ruins of the abbey and the church spread over a large
tract of ground. The chapter-house, the refectory, the
dormitory, and about a hundred yards of the cloisters
are also tolerably entire.
The celebrated monastery of Fountain's Abbey was
founded in the year 1132, for monks of the Cistertian
Order, who had then been lately introduced into
England, and the primitive monks of this place seemed
to have been inspired with all the enthusiasm of St.
Bernard, the chief of their order, as at one time they
■were reduced to such straits by a general scarcity, as
to be obliged to feed on the leaves of trees and herbs
gathered in the fields, and boiled with a little salt.
Having sustained these difficulties rather than quit
the place, the fame of their sanctity and abstinence
spread far and wide, and many rich sinners, who
wanted passports to heaven through the prayers of
these holy men, contributed most profusely: for in-
stance, Hugh, dean of York, being sick, ordered him-
self and all that he had to be carried to the monastery
of Fountains, and being very rich, his wealth brought
great relief to the house.
At length, after Edward the Third had secured the
northern parts of the kingdom from the depredations
of the Scots, the monks of Fountain's Abbey were in
such repute for their supposed sanctity, that many of
the northern barons purchased with immense dona-
tions, a sepulture within its walls. Among these was
the ancient and noble family of Percy. The abbey,
with all its offices and appendages, occupied ten, or,
according to some writer?, twelve, acres of ground.
The whole length of the church, from east to west, is
351 feet, and that of the transept 186. The great
tower at the north end is very perfect, and finely pro-
portioned, and by its remarkable situation, gives an
uncommon degree of eft'ect to every view of the ruins.
Descending the hill from the seat where these first
strike the view, the tourist is conducted along the mar-
166 WEST BIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
gin of a rivulet, the abbey still appearing with addi-
tional grandeur on a nearer approach.
On crossing the mouldering arches of a bridge, he
finds himself at the entrance of these beautiful ruins.
— Built in the most elegant stj^le of Gothic architec-
ture, the tower and all the walls are yet standing, the
roof alone being gone to decay.
The following are the more exact dimensions of
these venerable remains: the great tower is one hun-
dred and sixty-six feet six inches high, and 24 feet
square. It is placed at the north end of the transept,
and is probably from the appearance of the windows,
and angular ornamental buttresses, of which there are
none attached to the church, of a somewhat later
aera than the rest of the building, or of the time of
Edward III. when York minster was erected. It is
entitled to particular notice as being very perfect and
lofty, and of noble proportions; and giving, by its
peculiar situation, an uncommon degree of picturesque
dignity to Qvery view of the ruin in which it is in-
cluded.
Immediately behind the altar is the sanctum sanc-
torum, 132 feet long, and 30 broad, where only the
principal or heads of the order were admitted. Ad-
joining is the altar.
Within a few yards of the tesselated pavement of
the altar lies a stone coffin, in which, it is said. Lord
Henry de Percy was buried, in the year 1315.
' In a chapel to the left is a broken stone figure, said
to be the Earl of Mowbray in full armour, with the
arras of Mowbray on his shield.
At the top of the north corner window of the tran-
se})t is the figure of an angel holding a scroll, with the
date 1283.
The nave or body of the church presents a majes-
tic specimen of the early Gothic style of architecture
of the time of Henry III. being completed by abbot
John de Cancia, who died in the year 1215; whilst
the eastern part of it exhibits instances of great light-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 167
ncss and elegance in the choir and columns of the
sanctum, and especially in the magnificent arch of
the great east window. If this superb and lofty arch
has not been added since the date on the west win-
dow (1292) it is, perhaps the first example of one of
the magnitude in the kingdom, and the whole church
may be esteemed one of the purest models now ex-
tant, of the simple and majestic style of building which
prevailed in the reign of Edward I.
The cloister garden is 120 feet square, and now
planted with shrubs and evergreens.
The chapter-house is 84 feet by 42; the rubbish
within it was cleared away about the year 1791,
when several tomb-stones of the abbots interred here
were discovered; the floor has been a tesselated
pavement of various designs, fragments of uhich
still remain. The tomb-stones are much broken, and
the inscriptions are so defaced, that two only remain
legible, viz.
" Hie requiescit dominus Joannes X.
Abbas de Fontibus qui obiit VIII. Die.
Decembris."
" Hie requiescit dominus Johanus XH. Abbas de
Fontibus.''
The scriptorium was over the chapter-house, and
of the same dimensions; it appears to have been sup-
ported by ten pillars of grey marble, the basements
of which are now remaining.
The kitchen, which is divided, is very small, when
compared with the other apartments, and is remark-
able for two curiously arched fire places.
The refectory is 103 feet by 45 ; with a gallery on
one side, probably for disputations.
The cloisters are 300 feet long and 42 feet wide;
the roof is arched, and supported by 21 stone pillars.
Near to one end is a large stone bason, two yards in
diameter.
The cloister garden is 120 feet square, and is
planted with shrubs and evergreens.
168 WEST AIDING OF YORKSHir.E,
Over the cloisters is the dormitory of the same di-
mensions; under the steps leading to which is a
porter's lodge.
A few yards distant are the ruins of the apartments
occupied by the abbots.
Over the principal west window, on the outside, is
a thrush standing upon a tun, carved with stone, sup-
posed to denote the name of the founder, with a scroll
bearing date 1292 ; the same hieroglyphic is placed
over the window at the extremity of the south side.
On each side of the tower are inscriptions, in large
Saxo-monastic characters.
Fountain's Hall stands about two hundred yards
west from the abbey, and was built out of its ruins,
by Sir Stephen Proctor, one of the squires to James I.
— There is nothing deserving of particular notice at
this hou5€, except some curious painted glass, in the
windows of the chapel, exhibiting the arms cf diffe-
rent families, and a curiously ornamented chimney-
piece, representing the Judgment of Solomon.
Skelldale extends severaf miles above Fountain's
Abbey, and still appears in all its romantic beauties.
About a mile higher up, is the village of Aldfield,
which deserves to be better known for its medicinal
waters, which rise on the southern side of the vale.
A fine trout stream runs between them, and a charm-
ing spring of fresh water issues within a few yards.
This spa is \-isited in summer by great numbers of
country people, who scarcely ever fail finding relief in
all cases in which the use of sulphureous waters are
recommended.
About four miles east fi-om Ripon, on the road to
Boroughbridge, is Newey-Hall, situated on the east
bank of the river Aire. A few good family portraits
are among the pictures in this house, but its principal
ornament is the museum, or gallery of statues, which
contains a series of the most valuable antique marbles
that taste could select or money procure. Among
the most eminent the following are pointed out by the
iuiienious editor of the works of the late Mr, Daves,
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCR1PTI0^'. 169
viz. the Nereid Galatea; a colossal head of Hercu-
les; the philosopher Epicurus; a Dacian Kinj;; a
Venus; Brutus, who slew Julius Ca^sJlr; the Empress
Faustina, wife of Antoninus Pius; the Goddess Pal-
las, and a Dancing Faun. Sir Edward Blackett re-
built this hoose jn"l760, at an expence of 32,000/.;
but this, with other estates, devolved to the Kight
lion. Thomas Weddel, Lord Grantham, after the
death of William Weddel, esq. in 1792.
IIIPLEY
Is a small market-town, situated about seven miles
from Ripon, upon the river Nid, over wjiich it has a
bridge.
In Ripley church there is a monument under an
arch, with the effigies of a knight and his lady in a
cumbent posture, with several escutcheons of arms
round it; which monument seems to have been for
Sir Thomas Ingleby, a judge in the reign of Ed-
ward III. There is also a handsome monument
in the choir, against the south wall, for Sir William
Ingleby.
There is a tradition that this church formerly stood
near the river, but on account of the floods was re-
moved to where it now stands.
In this town is a school with the following inscrip-
tion over the school-room door:
" This school was built by JNIary Ingleby, in the year
1702, and endowed with part of the fortune of Ka-
therine Ingleby, being two youngest daughters of
Sir WiUiam Ingleby, of Ripley, in the county of
York, Baronet."
At Ripley there is an ancient castellated building,
the seat of Sir John Ingleby, bart. According to an
inscription carved on the frieze of tlie wainscot in one
of the chambers, it was built by Sir William Ingleby
in the reign of Philip and INIary. It has been much
enlarged of late years, and is now a spacious and com-
modious mansion, embattled only for ornament; but
the lodge and great tower still retain their clmracte-
170 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
ristics of strength and security. The apartments are
elegant, and in the great staircase is a superb Vene-
tian window of stained glass, ornamented with a se-
ries of escutcheons, displaying the quarterings and the
intermarriages of the Ingleby family, during the course
of 433 years that they have been settled at Ripley.
The market is held on Monday.
Between Ripley and Knaresborough are Bilton
Hall, and Coguill Hall, pleasantly situated upon
the river Nid.
KNARESBOROUGH.
The town of Knaresborough is situated on the side
of a high hill, almost encompassed by the river Nid,
which issues from the bottom of the Craven hills.
The prospects from the higher parts of the town, of
the surrounding country, are extremely beautiful. A
handsome stone bridge over the Nid leads uphill into
a neat wide street, to the market-place.
The town is tolerably large, well-built, and Ijand-
some, and contains about 4000 inhabitants, numbers
of whom have been long employed in the manufactory
of linen and cotton. The market held on Wednesd;iy
is one of the greatest corn-markets in Yorkshire, great
quantities of grain being sold here, and sent westward,
especially taSkipton and Craven.
The church is for the greater part modern. It con-
tains some monuments of the SUngsby family; and
under a stone, which formerly covered St. Robert,
who died about 1216, is buried Sir Henry Slingsby,
beheaded 1658 for his steady adherence to the royal
cause. When the bells were hung in the year 1774,
several pieces of halt-burnt wood were taken out of
the wall of the steeple, probably the ends of timber de-
stroyed by fire during the reign of Edward H. when the
Scots ravaged the northern parts of England, and when
this town and the church were involved in a general
conflagration. Since the Reformation this clmrch
seems to have been repaired out of the ruins of the
priory.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 171
Knaresborough is an ancient borough by prescrip-
tion, and has returned two members to parliament
ever since the first year of Queen Mary. The right of
election was then vested in 84 or 88 burgage houses,
the owners of which were entitled to vote. The Duke
of Devonshire is now, and the family has for a long
time been in posse-sion of ail the burgage-houses,
except four. The number of houses in Knaresborough
is about 883, the inhabitants, 4234. The number of
voters at present is only 100; two-thirds of which are
under the influence of the Duke of Devonshire, and
the remainder the property of Sir William Slingsby.
The remains of Knaresborough Castle are situated
near the river Nid, on a craggy rock (whence it takes
its name), and is washed by the river. It is said to
have been built by Serlo de Burgh, soon after the Con-
quest ; he was uncle by the father's side to Eustace
Fitz-John, who took upon him the name of Vesci. It
appears by the history of Fountain's Abbey, that this
Eustace inhabited the castle in the year 1133; for
when the monks of the abbey were in great distress
for want of food, he sent them a basket of bread. It
seems to have been pretty entire in Leland's time,
from his account of it given above. According to the
same author in his Collectanea, this castle, in the
reign of Edward II. about the year 1319, was taken
by John de Lillburne, who afterwards surrendered
himself to the king upon certain conditions. A his-
tory of this castle, published at Knaresborough many
years ago, places this event in the reign of Edward
III. and says Lillburne stole the castle, and burnt the
records; but no authority is cited for this assertion.
In the year 1399 the deposed Richard II. was removed
hither from Pickering Castle, on account of some in-
surrections in his favour.
In the time of the Civil Wars, during the reign of
Charles I. the castle appears to have been capable of
resistance. y\fter the battle of Marston-Moor, it
was bravely defended by the townsmen, for the king,
for a considerable time, against the regular troops of
Q 2
172 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
the parliament, and* at length capitulated upon ho-'
nourable terms.
The site of the castle occupies a circular space of
about 300 feet diameter, overlooking the river. The
lines of tlie exterior ^vall of the works are discerni-
ble; and in a wall, taking a diagonal direction across
the works, is a gallery of communication. One of the
circular towers is still visible. The keep, by the parts
left, was certainly a grand design, consisting of three
stories; on the second, or principal story, the windows
are large, which with other decorations warrants its
former magnificence. Taking an east view of the re-
mains they are very picturesque; in the centre the
keep, to the left the vestiges of a gateway, and on the
right a distant view of the river and country.
The commander of the parliament forces, as he did
not dare to wreak his vengeance upon the people,
levelled his malice against the castle, the interior
of which he destroyed, leaving only what remains at
present.
The ruins consist of part of the south point of the
keep, of dismantled towers, dilapidated arches, and a
vaulted room, which was used as a prison. Yet even
now enough is left to strike the imagination.
The winding labyrinths, the hostile tower,
Where danger threaten'd and tyrannic power;
The jealous draw-bridge, and the moat profound,
The lonely dungeon in the cavern'd ground,
The sullen dome above those central caves.
Where liv'd one tyrant and a host of slave s.
These ruins are but a short walk from Harrowgate,
and connected with the many natural and artificial
curiosities that abound in the neighbourhood, render
the town of Knaresborough an interesting object to
the visitors of that place.
In the long walk on the south western bank of the
Nid, and opposite to the ruins of the castle, is the
famous Dropping, or petrifying, Well. This re-
markable spring rises in the steep declivity of the hill,
TOPOGRAPHICx\L DESCRIPTION. 173
nt the toot of a limestone rock, whence it trickles
down in above thirty places, dropping very fast, cre-
ating a musical kind of tinkling, owing most probably
to the concavity of the rock, which projecting in a
circular curve from the bottom to the lop, its brow
overhangs nearly fifteen feet. This rock, which is
above thirty feet high, forty-five feet long, and from
thirty to forty broad, started about 110 years ago
from the main bank, leaving a chasm of two or three
yards wtdc, over which the water is carried by an
aqueduct. The whole rock is covered witli plants,
flowers, and shrubs. The spring is supposed to emit
20 gallons per minute. The water abounds with fine
particles, which it deposits only when in a languid
motion, and leaves an incrustation on the bodies that
it meets with, in trickling slowly amongst the many
obstacles that impede its course. Tradition teJls u^,
that near this rock Mother Shipton, the famous York-
sliire sybil, was born towards the latter end of the
fourteenth century.
About a mile from Knaresborough is Saint Robert's
Chapel, an excavation in the rocks. It has a door-
way and window, with pointed arches. On the
right of the door-way is a curious figure of a knight
in the attitude of drawing his sword, as ready to
defend the entrance. This sculpture is cnt in the
rock. The interior of the chapel (eight feet square)
is worked into two divisions with groins. The east
end has three sides of an octagon, where is ati altar
with compartments, and over it a niche. On the
south side are niany heads cnt in relief. Tlie whole
work is evidently done by an unskilful hand; perhaps
the first hermit, who took up his abode here in the
reign of King John, employed himself in the execu-
tion of the design, as the imes, thougii tending to the
early pointed style, are incorrect and irregular; a
hole in the middle of the floor is called the Saint's
Grave. From St. Robert's grave a pile of freestone
rocks ranges along the river side for above three miles,
overhung with trees romantically disposetl ; among
Q 3
174 WEST ElDIIiG OF YORKSHIRE.
there are the ruins of another chapel, and on the green
sod before it a blue stone, with a cross fleuri, under
which the last priest of the chapel is said to lie. Fur-
ther on, almost at the end of the ridge of rocks, is St.
Robert's cave, alow subterraneous passage, said to have
reached to the market-place, and to have been traced
so far. This place, in the year 1768, was the theme
of much curiosity, on account of the bones of Daniel
Clarke, who was about thirteen years before murdered
by Eugene Aram, a schoolmaster, being discovered
therein. Aram, a self-taught genius, produced at his
trial a written defence, so replete with erudition and
elegance, that it not only astonished the whole court,
but the whole country. He however afterwards con-
fessed the fact, and was executed August 1759.
The walk along the margin of the river from the
dropping well to the bridge, is extremely delightful.
The precipitous rocks which run along the north side,
are not less than a hundred feet in height. At the
bottom and on the declivity are many dwellings,
scooped out of the rock, and inhabited from time im-
memorial. The most remarkable of these is called the
roCk-house, a large cavern, supposed to have been
the retreat of some of the banditti that formerly in-
fested the neiglibouring forest. Under a large rock
are a few steps that lead down into this singular
abode. The latest occupiers were an industrious
weaver and his family, w ho had formed a small piece
of ground on the slope of the rock into a garden. In
fact, there are several gardens with ciiarming walks,
in different stages of the dechvity, quite to the top of
the hill. At the bottom of the rocks is a narrow slip
of level ground along the margin of the river, covered
with a number of small but neat houses.
About a mile from Knaresborough castle, aie the
remains of an ancient camp, on the point of a hill
about 200 feet above the river Nid. From this
station there is a fine view of the town and castle of
Knaresborough, and the valley through which the
river runs.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 175
Plumpton lies about two miles from Knaresborough:
this is a romantic spot, laid out with walks and other
decomtions amidst rocks and trees, and is much re-
sorted to by the company from Harrowgate. Beck-
withshaw is also a pleasant part of the ancient forest,
and still retains some appearance of the Shaw, or
small wood.
Ribstone-hall, the seat of Sir Henry Goodricke,
hart, is situated on an eminence, nearly encompassed
by the river Nid, commanding a wide, extensive, and
beautiful prospect. In the saloon are many fine
pictures ; and in the chapel-yard a very curious se-
pulchral monument of the standard bearer of the ninth
Roman Legion, which was dug up in Trinity-gardens,
near Micklegate, in York, in the year 1688. In his
right hand is the ensign of a cohort, and in his left a
measure for corn. This place produces the dehcious
apple called the " Ribstone-park pippin," though the
original tree was brought from France ; this is still
standing, and in the year 1787 produced six bushels
of fruit.
SpofFord presents some striking ruins, which extend
forty-five yards from north to south, and sixteen from
east to west. These are situated on a sloping bank,
ending on a low wall of rock within the castle,
affording convenience for lower apartments. The
hall, which has been a most magnificent room, is
seventy-five feet in length, and thirty-six in breadth ;
the window^s are arched like those of cathedral
churches. It seems to have been built about the
time of Edward the Third, when the idea of castle
began to give place to that of the palace. Here was
the seat of the Percys before Alnwick or Warkworth
came into their possession; and the manor-house,
according to Leland, was much defaced in the Civil
Wars between Henry VI. and Edward IV.
Ripley has a seat of the Tngleby's very near it:
Ripon, Studley-park, and Fountain's Abbey are fre-
quently visited from Harrowgate, though from fifteen
to twenty miles distant. The forest of Knaresborough
176 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
extends from east to west upwards of twenty miles;
and in some place is eight miles in breadth.
In KnaresboroLigh parish, about three miles west
of the town, on a large and dreary moor, anciently a
part of the forest, are the villages of Upper and Lower
riarrowgate.
Harrowgate, two miles north-west of Knares-
borough, consists of two scattered villages, distin-
guished by the names of High and Low Harrowgate,
nearly a mile distant from each other; both built on
a common, yet possessing sufficient accommodation
for company. The situation of Higb Harrowgate is
extremely pleasant, commanding a most extensive
prospect of the country, finely varied by towns, vil-
lages, fields, and woods. The cathedral of York is
seen distinctly at the distance of twenty miles, and
the view is terminated by the Craven-hills on the
west; Hambleton-hills and the Yorkshire Wolds on
the east.
Of Harrovvgate it has been remarked, while some
places are visited because they are fashionable, and
others on account of the beauty of their scenery, this
is chiefly resorted to by valetudinarians, who fre-
quently derive health from its springs ; otherwise
upwards of two thousand persons would not annually
repair to this sequestered spot.
The old chalybeate spa at Harrowgate, discovered
by Captain Slingsby in 1571, rises opposite the
Granby-inn, and has an elegant dome over it, erected
by the Earl of Koslyn in 1786. This well is strongly
recommended to persons for whom tonics are pre-
scribed. The Tewit Well stands about half a mile
west of the former, from which it differs very little.
The Sulphur Wells are at Lower Harrowgate, and
are properly enclosed and secured ; the water at first
is clear and sparkling, and throws up a quantity of
air bubbles; has a strong sulphureous smell, tastes
salt, and, according to the popular opinion, seems to
the palate like rotten eggs and gunpowder. Taken
from two to four pints it is purgative, and is found
laPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 177
serviceable in scurvy, scrofula, and cutaneous diseases.
It is also us#d by way of bath or fomenting, when its
good effect on the diseases of the skin and the cure of
ulcers, are generally perceptible, as well as in re-
moving old strains, aches, and paralytic debilities.
It has also been found useful in destroying worms,
and been recommended in gout, jaundice, spleen, the
green sickness, and other disorders arising from ob-
struction.
The season at Harrowgate begins in May, continues
till Michaelmas, and in fine autumns concludes in
October. The company are accommodated at several
large inns on a heath about a mile from the town,
each liouse having its long-room and an ordinary; the
board per day, fluctuates between seven and ten
shillings at the different inns. Here, and at the
hoarding-houses, various parties are formed, who eat
in common, and thus enjoy at a reasonable rate many
comforts and even luxuries, which singly they could
not command, while their repasts are seasoned by
social conversation, and both sexes vie with each
other in the art of being mutually agreeable.
A theatre was opened at Harrowgate in 1788 ;
there are, besides, billiard-rooms, at which ladies as
well as gentlemen attend ; the former merely for
amusement: deep play of any kind is seldom practised;
and the consequence of mixing with female company
is found to be advantageous to sobriety. • Hargrove's
library at High Harrowgate, is well supplied and much
frequented ; and there is also another improving
library. The new promenade is an elegant and com-
modious building in the midst of a large garden, and
serves as a morning lounge for tlie company v.ho at-
tend the wells.
Mr. Bigland observes, that " the sulphur springs are
very offensive to the smell and the ta^te; but expe-
rience has proved them to be excellent remeilies in
cutaneous disorders and scrophulous cases, as well as
highly ethcacious in destroying w orms and their nidus ;
in cleansing the bowels, and removing chronic ob-
178 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
structions. In the year 1783, was discovered in the
garden of the Crescent-inn, at Low Harrowgate, a
new spring, which heing of a middle nature between
the sulphur and chalybeate, and containing ingredients
of both, is peculiarly suited to chronic diseases.
The Harrowgate waters have been analyzed, and
their qualities explained by many eminent physicians.
The first treatise on the virtues and uses of the chaly-
beate springs was written soon after their discovery,
by Dr. Bright; who was followed by Dr. Dean in
1626; by Dr. Stanhope in 1631; Dr. French in 1651;
Dr. Neale in 1656; and Dr. Simpson in 1668. The
sulphureous waters have been treated by Dr. T. Short,
Dr. William Alexander 1773 ; Dr. Walker in 1784,
and Dr. T. Garnet in 1793, to the last edition of
whose valuable treatise an appendix of cases is added
by Dr. J. Jaques, physician at Harrowgate. Dr.
Nisbet, who published " A iNIedical Guide for the
Invalid to the principal Watering Places in Great
Britain, in 1806," remarks, that Higher and Lower
Harrowgate possessing sufficient accommodations for
company that mix in social parties, they enjoy ruore
pleasure amidst the bleak and barren wilds of York-
shire, than many taste in the fashionable haunts of
Bath and Brighton.
The rise of Harrowgate since the first discovery of
the springs in the year 1561, has been remarkable.
Being at first but a miserable hamlet, the company
for want of accommodations, were obliged to lodge
in farm-houses and cottages, till the year 1687, when
the first inn, now called the Queen's Head, was built.
Before the commencement of the last century there
were three good inns at High Harrowgate; but during
the last sixty years the annual resort of nobility and
gentry has been great beyond all precedent, and this
has become one of the principal watering places in
England, having eight spacious and commodious inns,
besides a numlier of private lodging-houses, for per-
sons who are desirous of a more retired situation.
At the inns there are public balls twice a week, at
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 179
each house in rotation. Here is also a chapel erected
by subscription, and consecrated in 1749. Divine
sen/ice is performed here every Wednesday and
Friday, and a sermon preached every Sunday through-
out the year. Since the buildings about Harrowgate
have increased, there are nearly 1500 inhabitants,
many of them in opulent and easy circumstances.
Among the walks and rides round Harrowgate, is
Harewood-Hall, the seat of Lord Harevvood, built on
an eminence, and from the south front overlooking a
piece of water. This fine house being within an easy
morning's ride, is commonly visited by the company.
The entrance to the ancient castle here, supposed to
have been built about the time of Edward X., is by
two portals.
One mile east from High Harrowgate is a bridge
over a small brook, called Starbeck, and about two
hundred yards to the east of this spot are two springs,
formerly in great repute, but now quite neglected.
Bilton-park is about half a mile hence on the left of
the road leading to Knaresborough, and here are
several petrifying springs, besides one of sulphureous
water. Marble, alabaster, and coal, are likewise to
be met with on this estate. We pursue our route
through Harewood ; but meet with nothing remarkable
till we come to
LEEDS.
The town of Leeds, situated on the north bank of
the river Aire, is one of the most commercial and
opulent towns in Yorkshire. It covers an eminence
gently rising from that river to the upper end of the
town, and falling with an easy slope to the east and
west as well as to the south. On the eastern side the
town falls into a deep valley, through which a rivulet
runs, having a number of dyeing-houses on its banks.
Still this rivulet does not form the boundary of the
town, as there are a considerable number of houses,
and several streets, lanes, and alleys beyond its
eastern banks. The town of Leeds is in general well
built, almost entirely of brick; but its difterent quarters
180 AVEST RIDING OF YORKSHIllE.
form, one with anotlier, a striking contrast. The
houses upon the rivulet just mentioned are mean, and
the streets and lanes, dirt}', crooked, and irregular,
emitting disagreeable smells from the dyeing-houses
and the different manufactures.
The southern 'edge of the town is almost as dis-
agreeable ; and though it has some good houses, it
has been said in a great measure to nave the appear-
ance of a prison. But the middle and western parts
display fine streets and several elegant buildings.
The breadth of tlie town from north to south is not
jnuch more than half a mile ; but its length from east
to west, is not less than a mile and a half. It is
divided nearly into two equal parts by Briggate and
the market-place, which open into each other, running
uearly in a line from south to north. Briggate, the
principal street in Leeds, is about 500 yards in length,
and thirty in breadth. In this the cloth-market was
formerly held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, at an early
hour in the morning. At the upper end of Briggate,
is the Moot-hall, the front of stone, supported by
columns and arches, and the arms of the town, in
relievo, between two maces, the ensigns of mayoralty.
The fleece in the escutcheon, designates the woollen
manufacture, supported by the birds of Minerva, in
memory of Sir John Saville, afterwards created Lord
Saville, the first honorary alderman when the town
and parish were incorporated, in the second year of
Charles I. In a niche over the arms of the town is a
statue of Queen Anne in white marble, by Carpenter,
the gift of Alderman Milner.
From the IMoot-hall to the market-place the street
is divided by a row of buihhngs into two; that to tl.e
east is the shambles, and the other is called the back
of the shambles. The market-place, or as it is usually
called. Cross-parish, is a very spacious street, having
the large market-cross at the east end. At the top
of the market-place is the Head Row, so called from
its rising with an easy ascent to the crown of the hill,
on thesouthcrji dcclivitv of which the town is situated.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 181
At the upper end of New-street, entirely built by
John Harrison, esq, the great benefactor of Leeds, is
the church-yard of St. John's. A little further to the
north is Mill-Hill, at the extremity of the town,
where the castle formerly stood, and where there arc
now a large house and gardens ; this is one of the
most delightful situations in Leeds. Li the middle of
the town, to the east and west of Briggate, are several
good streets and large and handsome houses. But
tlie western part displays the greatest degree of ele-
gance. Here is a spacious square, environed with
handsome brick houses, which being built at different
times, has no general name. The east side is called
Park-row ; the west is denominated East-parade ;
and the north side the South-parade : the south side
is formed by the Mixe(i-Cloth Hall and the general
infirmary. Tiie centre is partly laid out in gardens,
but the largest proportion is used as a tenter-ground.
Park-square is also composed of elegant modern
houses, and the centre is laid out in walks and planted
with shrubs. On the south side of this square is St.
Paul's church, a very modern and handsome structure
of stone, having been opened on Christmas-day, 1794.
To the south of Park-square, and separated from it
by the new road to Kirkstall is Park-place, a row of
very handsome houses fronting the south, and com-
manding a fine view of the river Aire and the neigh-
bouring hills. Leeds contains five churches, viz. St.
Peter's, St. John's, St. James's, Trinity church, and
St. Paul's. St. Peter's, the parish church, is a spa-
cious, plain, and venerable pile of considerable anti-
quity; but the name of its founder, and the time of
its foundation, are unknown. A church here is cer-
tainly mentioned in the Doomsday Survey. St. Peter's
is 165 feet in length, and 97 in breadth, built in the
form of a cross, with a tower or steeple 96 feet in
lieight, rising from the centre on four massy colunms
with arches. The roof, 51 feet high, is supported by
.three rows of pillars, terminating in pointed arches;
and the nave displays a sort of singularity in being
n
J82 WEST RIDIKG Of YORKSHIUE.
divided into four aisles, which run from the transe^jt
to the west end. The choir is spacious, and before
the Reformation, was divided into several distinct
chapels. There are galleries quite round the church ;
on the front of that opposite the pulpit are the arras
of the town, a golden fleece in a field azure, sur-
rounded by a garter, on which is inscribed Sigillum
Burgi de Leedcs, supported by two crowned owls, in
honour of Sir John Saville. Here are a fine peal of
ten bells, with chimes that play at four, six, eight,
and twelve o'clock, and an excellent organ built by
Ilenry Price. On the ceiling of the nave, the As-
cension is painted in fresco, by Pannentier.
In this church are many sepulchral monuments of
the 15th and 16th centuries, now greatly defaced;
but the inscriptions are mostly preserved by Thoresby.
Among those of a modern date there are several upon
young and promising otiicers that fell during the late
revolutionary war. St. John's was founded and finished
by John Harrison, esq., and consecrated Sept. J,
1634. This eminent benefactor, who died anno 1656,
in the 77th year of his age, is here interred under a
tomb of black marble, with an appropriate inscription.
Trinity church, erected about 1721, is a handsome
stone structure with a tower and spire ; the roof is
supported by a double row of Corinthian columns.
St. Paul's, another elegant stone edifice erected by
the Rev, Miles Atkinson, is neatly finished. St.
James's church is an octagonal building of stone, and
was first occupied by the late Lady Huntingdon's
preachers, but was purchased by two clergymen of the
established church, and has been since consecrated.
Besides the five churches, here are eight meeting-
houses for Protestant Dissenters, viz. one Presbyterian,
one Unitarian, three of Independents, one of Scotch
Seceders, one for Baptists, one for Quakers, exclusive
of two Methodist meetings, aud a Roman Catholic
chapel.
The General Infirmary is a large and handsome
building of brick, built and supported by voluntary
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 183
subscription. Every person, wherever his residence
may be, is admissible, if recommended by a subscriber;
but in cases admitting of no delay, this is not neces-
sary. IMr. Howard, who visited this hospital in 1788,
says, this hospital is one of the best in the kingdom.
In Vicar-lane there is another hospital, called the
House of Ilecover}', for the reception of poor persons
liaving infectious i'evers. Its objects are, first, to pre-
vent the spread of contagious fevers, by removing into
well-ventilated apartments every poor person on the
first appearance of an infectious fever ; by which
separation the rest of the family and neighbourhood
will probably be preserved from its ravages; and ge-
nerally to effect the recovery of those who might
otherwise fall victims to the disease.
To the old alms-houses founded and endowed by
John Harrison, esq. for forty poor women, twelve
more have been added, according to the will of the
late Arthur Aikin, esq., which now afford a retreat to
sixty-four aged persons, each of whom receives the
sum of six guineas per annum. The new alms-houses,
ten in number, forming three sides of a square, were
founded by jNlrs. Potter, for the widows of deceased
tradesmen, each having a salary of ten pounds per
annum.
The Free Gramraar-School was also erected by
the benevolent John Harrison, esq.; and in 1G92,
Godfrey Lawson, esq. added a new apartment. This
school has produced several eminent men in church
and state. The charity school instructs seventy boys
and fifty girls in reading and knitting: this was like-
wise founded by Mr. Harrison. The workhouse was
built by Richard Sykes, esq. alderman in 1636; but
has since been considerably enlarged. At the King's
Mills, held by J. P. Neville, esq. by a grant from the
crown, all the inhabitants of Leeds are obliged to
grind their corn, except those whose houses stand oa.
ground formerly belonging to the Knights of St. John
of Jerusalem.
The water«works arc near the bridge crossing the
R 2
1B4 WEST RIDING OF YOUKSUIRE.
Aire; by means of tliese works the town is abundantly
supplied with soft water. Adjoining these are the
vast warehouses belonging to the Aire and Galder
navigation. Here are also assembly-rooms, consist-
ing of a ball-room, tea-room, and card-room; the
dancing assemblies are held every fortnight during
the winter. The theatre was built by the late Tate
Wilkinson, esq. Plays are performed here generally
three nights in the week, during the summer months;
the season commencing about the middle of May.
In this town there is also a circulating library, which
contains a good collection of books, and some va-
luable manuscripts; to these it has been in agitation
to add an annual exhibition of pictures. The Mixed-
Cloth Hall, erected in 1758, at the expence of the
manufacturers, is a quadrangular building, inclosing
an open area. The structure is 127 yards in length,
and 66 in breadth, and is divided into six covered
streets, each containing two rows of stands, making
in the whole 1800. Each stand is 22 inches in front.
About twenty individuals have been in possession of
two stands each. All these persons have served a
regular apprenticeship to the making of coloured
cloth. Each stand cost the original proprietor three
guineas each; but they have since been raised from
eight to fifteen pounds, according to the situation.
The White-Cloth Hall was built in 1775, and is a
quadrangle like the other, having five covered streets,
each with a double row of stancis: The first cost of
these was thirty shillings ; but they have been sold
from three pounds to eight guineas. Manufacturers
of an inferior class, who have served a regular ap-
prenticeship, but have no property in the halls, bring
their cloth into the inclosed area, and pay a fixed
price for every piece exposed to sale. In Albion-
street is a small hall, for clothiers who cannot be ad-
mitted into the other halls, not having served a re-
gular apprenticeship. The cloth-market at both the
lialls is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the
commencement is announced by ringing a bell, and
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 185
the whole business of the market must be concluded
in an hour and a quarter. Any merchant remaining;
in the hall after the last bell has done ringing, must
pay five shilhngs every five minutes, or be excluded
till the fines are paid. The corn-market is held every
Tuesday in Cros^-parish. The shambles display great
abundance of butchers' meat; and the fish-markets
are held on Monday and Thursday. The quantity of
fruit and garden stuff" sold every market-day is very
great. Besides cloths, here are several manufactures
of sacking, canvas, linen, and thread. Here are also
carpet manufactories ; and a number of cotton-mills,
most of which have been worked by steam. Numerous
luills cover the banks of the Aire, for grinding corn,
dyers' wood, rape-seed, fuUing-cloth, turning ma-
chinery, &c.
In 1811 the popuktion of Leeds was 62,534 per-
sons, an increase of nearly ten thousand since the
census of 1801. The navigable river Aire, with the
Leeds and Liverpool canal, have been the means of
increasing the trade of these places by an easy com-
munication with the eastern and western seas. This
canal, which commences about a quarter of a mile
above the bridge at Leeds, passes by Kirkstall Abbey
and Shepley, above which it crosses the river Aire.
It then proceeds to Bingley, and passing within a
short distance of Keighley, continues its course to
Skipton. Near Gargrave, four miles and a half west
of bkipton, it again crosses the Aire, and is afterwards
continued into Lancashire, through which county it
is carried to Liverpool, an extent of 109 miles.
The borough of Leeds, which comprises the whole
parish, is governed by a corporation, consisting of a
mayor, twelve aldermen, and a common-council of
twenty-four members. The mayor and aldermen are
justices of the peace; and one or more of them attend
every Tuesday and Friday at the Rotation-office, for
the dispatch of business. A sessions for the borough
is held every three months, at which the mayor pre-
sides; and a general sessions for the West Riding is
A3
136 WEST HIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
held here at Michaehnas. The Moot-hall, till the
year 1811, was the sessions or court-house, but at
that time the magistrates voted three thousand pounds
towards the building of a handsome new one, since
completed.
To this has been added a prison, very different, in
point of convenience, from that which was visited by
Mr. Howard. When that gentleman pointed out the
insalubrity of this wretched dungeon, on being told
that prisoners seldom remained in it more than a
month, he observed, " an hour was too long to stay
in such a place."
The recent establishment of a Vagrant-office in
Leeds has already been attended with the most bene-
ficial consequences. Street beggars are already con-
siderably diminished ; and the lodging-houses, which
used each to harbour twenty or thirty vagrants daily,
are quite clear of visitors, and are likely to be closed.
In March 1818, the first stone of Wellington-bridge
was hiid here; it consists of one liandsome arch; the
architect was .1. Rennie, esq.
With respect to the cloth-market at Leeds, finished
goods on the ground story are offered for sale from
half past eight till ten minutes before ten o'clock,
down to the quantity of half a piece, and at ten the
market up one pair of stairs for white, or undyed
goods, commences. In this town butchers' meat of
good quality, together with roots and vegetables, as
well as fruit, are exposed in great abundance for sale.
Dyed yarns, and even cart-loads of the plant woad,
are also exposed in the market for sale. New buildings
even in the latter end of the summer of 1819, were
erecting, and excited the appearance of a town in a
thriving state. The manufactories are now extended
to the whole process of carding, spinning, • weaving,
shearing, and pressing, all by steam.
The pleasant village of Knostrop is upon the banks
of the Aire; and the environs of Leeds, in general,
are pleasant.
The remains of Kirkstall Abbev are situated at
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. "^B?
Kirkstall, a small vilkige upon the river Aire, about
three miles from Leeds. Dr. Whitaker, in his History
of Craven, observes, that " among the monastic re-
mains of the north of England, this abbey may claim
the second place, whether it be considered as a feature
in landscape, or as a specimen of architecture. In
the former view it must yield the palm to Bolton ;
with the latter indisputably to Fountains.
*' The lead and timber only were removed at the
dissolution, and nearly the whole building yet remains,
"with few additions to the structure of Abbot Alex-
ander; and fewer losses by removal or decay. The
whole exhibits that struggle between the Norman and
early Gothic styles, which took place in the reign of
Stephen. The windows are single round-headed
lights, the doors of the same shape, adorned with zig-
zag or rectangular mouldings ; the columns of the
church massy, but clustered, with pointed arches and
with Saxon capitals, each varying in pattern from the
rest. The cloister quadrangle, with the various apart-
ments surrounding it, is nearly entire. The original
refectory (for there is another of much later date),
has been a magnificent vaulted room, supported on
two fine cylindrical columns, cacli of a single stone.
The Chapter-house is partly of the original structure,
and partly an enlargement, little prior to the dissolu-
tion. The tower, according to the practice of the
twelfth century, was carried at first little higher than
the roof, but a lofty and graceful addition made to it,
apparently about the time of Henry VII. so loaded
the columns on which it stood, that about twenty
years ago the north-west pillar suddenly gave way, and
drew after it an enormous ruin of two sides of tiie
whole tower, which has perhaps contributed to the
picturesque effect of the whole. The cloister court
was the monk's cemetery, and about three years ago,
the gravestone of one of the last of the society was
found in fragments, though nothing more of the in-
scription was legible than
188 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
AMiie same time the remains of a coffin, consisting
of plates of beaten iron, were discovered.
Kirkstall Abbey was founded in the year 1152,
for Cistertians, whom Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lin-
coln, first settled at Bernoldswick, near Gisburne in
Craven. Dr. Whitaker gives an interesting account
of the circumstances which led to the translation of
the monastery, and its final dissolution, to which we
must refer the reader.
The ruins of the abbey occupy a very considerable
space; their length from north to south measuring 340
feet, and from east to west 445 feet. The choir is
fifteen yards by eight and a half v^ilh three chapels on
each side ; five yards and a half by three and a half.
The transept nme yards and a half square. The
nave 48 yards long, by eight and a half without the
aisles ; which are three yards and a half. The altar,
of white free-stone, lies broken to pieces; the authors
of this violence are said to have come to untimely
ends. The site of the abbey, upon its dissolution,
was granted to Archbishop Cranmer and his heirs.
Mr. Thoresby, the historian of Leeds, describes
many curious painted bricks found among the ruins
of the abbey, of different sizes, some of which were
in the shape of those now in use, but larger: the
largest of them was about eleven inches long, five in
breadth, and two in thickness. These bricks were
found near the foundation. A curious altar-piece is
said to be preserved, formerly belonging to the abbey,
on which was painted the history of Joseph of Arima-
thea, entombing our Saviour. Eight alabaster statues,
gilded and inclosed in a space of nine inches broad,
and thirteen long, were attached to.this piece, and also
the iron box for preserving the important papers of
the society.
The revenues of the house at the dissolution were
valued at 329/. per annum.
At CocKRiDGE, about two miles north from Kirk-
stall, a small village, formerly part of the possessions
of the abbey, Roman coins have been frequently dug
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 139
up ; and on the moor not far from Addle-mill, in the
year 1702, were discovered traces of a Roman town.
Among the ruins were many fragments of urns and
pottery, with the remains of a large aqueduct in stone.
At a short distance from hence is a Roman camp,
ahout four chains by five with a single vallum. Two
inscriptions were found, with a bust in relief over a
third, which was destroyed by the labourers. Mr.
Gough, in his Camden's Britannia, has given a plate
of these stones and inscriptions.
Addle church is built of small square stones, like
the Roman wall and multangular town at York, and
is evidently of great antiquity.
We shall here make a small deviation from the line
of our route, in order to visit the town of Bradford,
nine miles westward from Leeds. It is a neat, middle-
sized manufacturing town, containing about 8,000 in-
habitants. The parish is very extensive, containing
the following townships : Eccles-hill, Shipley, North
Blerley, Bowling, HortoH;, Clayton, Thornton, Heaton,
Manningham, and Hawath, all which are very po-
pulous.
Bradford church is a handsome and spacious struc-
ture ; but there was one more ancient erected here
about the year 1268. The town stands chiefly on a
rising ground, covering a strata of good stone. Coal
and iron ore are found in great abundance in the
neighbourhood, particularly upon the commons of
Wibsey and Barling, where there are considerable
iron works. The staple trade of Bradford consists
chiefly of the manufacture of worsted stuffs, for the
disposal of which they have a Piece Hall, 144 feet
long, and 36 broad, divided into two departments :
the upper, or chamber, is appropriated to the purpose
of selling worsted yarn in the gross, and here occa-
sionally is held the sessions for parochial business and
common law. The ground floor is divided longitu-
dinally, having a range of closets on each side to con-
tain the goods, opposite to which is a show board,
running the whole length.
190 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
In passing along the roads here, it is observed, on
every side the traveliei hears the rattling of looms and
sees the smoke of steam engines employed for various
purposes, whilst the whole country around exhibits a
scene of active industry and crowded population.
But at present, almost every vestige of this happiness
and prosperity has been destroyed by the introduction
of machinery, and tJie long continuance of the late war.
The town of Bradford is well built, almost entirely
of stone, as a brick house is rarely to be seen. The
air is sharp and healthful, and the environs extremely
pleasant.
About three miles east from Leeds is Temple New-
some, formerly a preceptory belonging to the Knights
Templars; now the residence of the Right Hon.
Viscountess Irwin. The mansion is built of brick,
and is one of the most magnificent houses built with
that material in the kingdom. The grounds are very
extensive, and if not laid out according to the present
taste, have an air of grandeur not to be found in the
modern system.
In Whitkirk church, about a mile from Temple
Nevvsome, are several ancient monuments, and an
elegant one to the memory of Mr. Smeaton, the en-
gmeer who erected the Edystone light-house.
At the distance of five miles nearly east from Brad-o
ford, and six nearly west from Leeds, is
FuLNECK : here is an establishment of the Moravian
Brethren. The present buildings were erected in the
year 1748, by a number of German Moravian Bre-
thren, and form a terrace of considerable length,
commanding an extensive prospect. The establish-
ment consists of a chapel and hall, school, and w ork-
shops, and also two large halls, appropriated for the
accommodation of the residents, consisting of un-
married persons of that persuasion of both sexes, and
who are kept separate from each other with a pe-
culiar degree of exactness. These buildings, with the
bouses for separate families, form a considerable vil-
lage; the number of inhabitants of which is from four
TOPOGRAPHICAL D [ SCllIPIION. lOl
to 500. Various branches of trade are carried on
in it, as shoemakers, tailors, bakers, &c. but their
chief employment is the woollen manufacture. The
single women are famous foi their skill in working
muslins with the needle, and tambour, and their
labours sell at a high price. The vocal and instru-
mental music of the settlement is reckoned very ex-
cellent.
Fulneck is considered as the principal establish-
ment of the Moravian Brethren in the united king-
dom, and is the residence of their bishop, who is
appointed at the meeting of a synod on the Continent,
and regularly ordained to preside over all the congre-
gations in Great Britain.
In the village there is also a commodious ir»n for the
entertainment of visitors and travellers, and a shop
in which are sold groceries, draperies, and a variety
of other goods. The Widows' House here was princi-
pally intended for the accommodation of the widows
of deceased missionaries and ministers. The schools
too were at first select for the offspring of these per-
sons, but now several persons of different persuasions
send their children to this seminary, where the great-
est order is maintained; each scholar has a bed to
himself; there are two teachers for each room, so
that the pupils are not neglected for a moment.
Every thing about Fulneck, in short, exhibits an ap-
pearance of regularity, neatness, and decency.
About a mile before we reach Wakefield, on the
left of our road, at the head of a rich vale, is Hat-
Fi eld-Hall, formerly called Wood-Hall, late the seat
of John Hatfield Kaye, esq. who enlarged, ornament-
ed and improved it in 1768, adding three Gothic
fronts. It had been rebuilt 1608, by Girvan Hatfield,
descendant from Sir Stephen Hatfield, high sheriff of
Gloucestershire, o Henry VI.
WAKEFIELD.
Wakefield, about eight miles soutli from Leeds,
has been considered as one of the most opulent of
the clothing towns. Many of the new streets contain
192 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
reinaikably h indsome and spacious mansion houses,
built of red brick and stone.
It is charmingly situated on the side of a hill slop-
injT gently towards the Calder. Most of the streets
are regular. The market-cross is an elegant struc-
ture, being an open colonnade of the Doric order,
supporting a dome with an ascent, with an opening
circular pair of stairs leading to a large room which
receives its light from a lantern at the top, and in
which most of the business of the town is transacted.
The market is held on a Friday, and a great deal of
business is done, particularly in the sale of wool.
The fortnight fairs held every other Wednesday, are
well attended by graziers and jobbers from Lincoln-
shire, the' East Riding, and Craven, and by butchers
from Halifax, Hudderstield, Sheffield and Manchester.
Huddersfield is in fact a thriving handsome town,
and has for some time threatened to rival Leeds.
The steam-boats that run betweon Huddersfield, Hali-
fax, and other places in tlie line of the new canal, are
also called fly-boats, on account of their expedition.
By the junction of this canal with the river Calder at
Cooper's-bridge, a communication is opened with
Halifax, Wakefield, Leeds, York, and Hull.
The parish church of Wakefield is an ancient, lofty,
Gothic structure, dedicated to All Saints : the spire is
said to be the highest in the county. The time when
this church was built is uncertain; but in August 1329,
Godfrey Plantagenet confirmed to the monks of
Lewes, in Sussex, the pension of sixty shilhngs out of
it, which had previously been given to them by
William Earl Warren. In November 1348, the church
being become the property of the king, was appropri-
ated by William, Archbishop of York, to the dean
and college of the royal chapel of St. Stephen, in the
palace of Westminster, reserving to himself and suc-
cessors, out of the fruits thereof, the annual sum of
twenty shillings, and to his dean and chapter, ten
shillings. Prior to the second of January, 1439, the
church had been governed by a rector secular; but
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOIir. 193
then the said William, Archbishop of York, ordain-
ed, at Ripon, that it should be governed by a per-
petual vicar (Irnving the cure of souls), presentable by
the said dean and college, who fihould have for his
portion the fruits of the church, except the great
tithes.
In 1724, the south side of the church was wholly
rebuilt ; and the greatest part of the north side, to-
gether with the east end, have been rebuilt within
these few years. On the outside of the east end, there
has likewise been a very elegant vestry room erected.
The parisli church is dedicated to All Saints. The
new church which was completed in 1795, was con-
secrated by the Archbishop of York, and is called the
church of St. John the Baptist. That elegant quarter
of the town where it stands, is called St. John's.
About forty years ago, a widow lady (Mrs. New-
•stead), bequeathed the sura of one thousand pounds
towards the support of a minister who should officiate
in a new church, when built, and also the ground for
the same. But the property being litigated, the mat-
ter lay dormant until the whole of the testatrix's pro-
perty was purchased by Messrs. Maude and Lee, who,
concurring with some disinterested inhabitants, pro-
cured an act of parliament for fulfilling the will of
the donor, and for enlarging the town, by the addition
of several new streets. The first stone of the new
church was laid by the Rev. Henry Zouch, of Sandall,
amidst the applauses of an amazing concourse of
people; and a great number of handsome houses in
streets and squares have since been erected.
There is a Free Grammar-school, founded and en-
dowed by Queen Elizabeth, but much enlarged by
benefactions from private persons, inhabitants of the
town and parish. The school-house is a noble and
spacious building, erected by Thomas Saville, and
sons, ancestors of the Earl of Mexborough. There
are several exhibitions appropriated to this school,
for the maintenance of students in the University of
Cambridge, of very considerable value, and some
194 WEST htbixc of yorksiiirf.
smaller ones for the students at the University of
Oxford. There are likewise two scholarships for
young members of Clare Hall, in Cambridge.
Here is also a Charity-school, founded for the in-
struction and clothing of 106 poor boys and girls of
Wakefield. Seventy of these are under the imme-
diate care of a master, who has a good house adjoin-
ing the school, for his residence, and a salary of up-
^vards of forty pounds per annum. The remainder of
tiie children are under the care of another person, who
has about sixteen pounds a year for instructing them.
The charitable donations to this town, amount in
all to about 1000/. per annum, and are under the direc-
tion of fourteen trustees, called governors. They are
appropriated to the maintenance of several exhibi-
tions in both universities, as mentioned above; to
binding out poor boys to various trades, with premi-
ums; to the support of old and infirm widowers and
widows, who have houses also to reside in, and to
any other charitable purpose which the governors
may think proper.
The West Riding House of Correction is situated
in Wakefield, and is an extensive and handsome
building, walled round. The governor's house is a
noble structure, standing in the south front wall of
the prison.
The hall here erected by subscription, is two stories
high, about seventy yards in length, and about ten
broad. Each story contains a row of stands or repo-
sitories, facing each way, and properly labelled, so
that any manufacturer's stand may easily be found.
The commencement of this market is announced by
the Hall-keeper, by the ringing of a bell suspended
in the cupola before mentioned. The Calder naviga
tion has been the means of promoting the trade of
this town equally with that of others with which it
communicates.
The south entrance into the town of Wakefield is
over a handsome ancient bridge, built sometime in
the reign of Edward HI., over the Calder ; a fine
TOPOGRAPniCAL DESCRIPTION. 155
specimen of ancient masonry, and on a large scale.
In the centre is a chapel, projecting from the east
side of the bridge, four arches ranging on either
hand. At the north-east angle of tiie chapel is a
stair-case for ascending into from the v/ater. The
east window has much tracery, and the parapet is
perforated. The windows on each side of the build-
ing, north and south, are equally rich. But all em-
bellishment seems inconsiderable, and all praise in-
adequate, when referring to the west front, imme-
diately connected with the pass on the bridge. The
design is twenty-six feet in breadth, and is divided into
seven parts by buttresses ; these parts are made out
as so many recesses with pointed arched heads and
lofty pediments. The second, centre, and sixth
parts have door-ways (the centre one and sixth
bricked up); above is an entablature supporting
niches, turrets, and five basso-relievos : these latter
decorations are crowned with small battlements. — The
several grounds are filled with compartments and tra-
ceries, which with the crotchets, finials and other
ornaments, are minute and delicate in the extreme.
This superb relic of antiquity, Mr. Bigland observes,
was some years since used as a warehouse, and its
beautiful embellishments have received considerable
damage. The east window hanging over the river, is
adorned with various tracery, and the parapets are
perforated. The buttresses, finials, traceries, &:c.
form an assemblage of Gothic embellishments, which
for richness and delicacy, can scarcely be excelled,
though the west front, facing the passage over the
bridge, exceeds all the rest in profusion of ornament.
This superb Gothic chapel, has lately been used as a
news-room by a society of gentlemen.
The basso-relievos exhibit the Nativity, Resurrec-
tion, and Ascension ; the fourth not quite intelligible,
(being with the rest, much mutilated), but appears
to contain two personages, one on each side of an
altar.
This chapel was dedicated to St. Mary, and ap-
s 2
196 WFST HIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
pears to have been erected shortly after the bridge,
by Edward III., in memory of his father, Richard,
Duke of York, who fell in the battle of Wakefield:
it was afterwards rebuilt and embellished by Edward
IV.
Wakefield has been embellised with a new Court-
house, and a new Asylum for the insane, together
with many respectable dwelling houses, near the new
church. The Black Bull, is a large handsome inn, of
modern erection, in the best street.
About two miles from Wakefield, on a hill south
of the Calder, is the village of Heath, which is uni-
versally allowed to be one of the most beautiful in
England. It consists of various elegant stone houses,
built round a green, with hanging woods and gardens
towards the river.
About a mile and a half from Wakefield, on the
road towards Barnsley, are the remains of Sandal
Castle, under the walls of which, Richard, Duke of
York, father of Edward IV. lost his life, in the battle
with Queen Margaret. Of this castle little exists
besides two uprights, of about twenty feet each in
length, containing a few arched openings of win-
dows. The castle was demolished by Oliver Crom-
well, in 1648. The village of Sandall has a handsome
church, which is a vicarage to an extensive parish.
From hence we continue our route towards Shef-
field ; through Barnsley, and over a road which we
have already described in the course of our journey to
Rotherham.
SHEFFIELD,
Is pleasantly situated upon an eminence, at the
confluence of the rivers Sheaf and Don, over each|of
which is a stone-bridge. That over the Don is called
Lady's bridge, consisting of three arches; and leads to
Barnsley, to the north, to Rotherham to the north-
east; supposed to be so named from a reUgious house,
which anciently stood near it, and was dedicated to
the Virgin Mary, which was afterwards converted
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 19T
into alms-hooses for poor widows ; but when the
bridge was widened, in 1768, these houses were
pulled down. It was erected originally in 1485, for
one hundred marks; the town finding all tlje materials.
The bridge over the Sheaf was rebuilt by Edward,
Duke of Norfolk, in 1769, consisting of one arch,
and leads to Sheffield-park, Hansworth, Woodhouse,
&c. to the east.
The extent of the town from east to west^ and from
north to south, is nearly a mile.
In the north-east part of the town, where the two
rivers meet, there was formerly a strong castle of a
triangular form, defended on two sides by the rivers
Don and Sheaf; having a strong breast-work before
the gates, which were palisadoed, with a trench twelve
feet deep, and eighteen feet wide, full of water, and
a wall round five yards thick. This castle, with the
lordship of Sheffield, was granted to Thomas, Lord
Fournyvale, 39 Edward III., to be held by homage
and knight's service, and the payment to the king
and his heirs, of two white hares yearly, on the feast
of St. John the Baptist.
It was surrendered, upon articles of capitulation,
to the parliament forces, by Gabriel Hemsworth,
Samuel Savile, and Thomas Robson, commissioners
authorized by the Governor, Major Beaumont,
August 10, 1644, and was afterwards demolished;
so that there is but little of it remaining at present,
to note its former site, except that the streets and
places thereabouts still retain the names of the Castle-
hill, Castle-ditch, Castle-fold, Castle-green, &c.
The corporation here relates only to the manu-
factory, and is styled " The Company of Cutlers of
Hallamshire" incorporated by act of parliament in
1625. It is governed by a master, two wardens, six
searchers, and twenty-four assistants.
As a certain portion of ground, or tenements in
the town, belongs to the freeholders at large, so
seven of them (four of the estabUshed church, and
the other three dissenters) are appointed, under the
sS
198 WEST RIDING OF YORKSUIRE.
title of town collectors, to grant leases, receive rents,
and apply the produce of the estate to public uses,
such as lighting the streets, &c.
Here are four churches, viz. Trinity Churcli, St.
Paul's, St. James's, and the chapel belonging to the
Duke of Norfolk's Hospital. Trinity Church, for-
merly called St. Peter's, which stands near the centre
of the town, was erected about the year 1100. It
is a vicarage, and did in former times belong to the
priory of VVorksop, in Nottinghamshire. The vicar's
income chiefly depends upon the small tithes, Easter-
dues, and fees for marriages, churchings, and burials,
the glebe being but small, though improved latterly.
The vicar has three assistant ministers, who were
first appointed, and a donation of land made for their
support, and other purposes, by Queen Mary, in
1553. They are elected by twelve capital burgesses,
as they are styled, who are trustees for the donation.
The church is a Gothic structure, with a handsome
spire in the centre, has eight very tuneable bells, and
a set of chimes made in 1773. In consists of a nave,
two side aisles, and a large chancel. On the north
side of the communion table are the vestry and library,
over which is a room where the burgesses before-men-
tioned transact business. Here are interred three
earls of Shrewsbury, and Judge Jessop, one of the
nine judges of Chester, and his lady, ofBroomhalJ,
near this town.
St. Paul's church is an elegant modern structure,
in the Grecian style. It was begun to be erected
in 1720, being founded through tiie benefaction of
1000/. from Mr. Robert Downes, a silversmith in
this town, together with the subscriptions of several
other gentlemen in the town and neighbourhood.
It was finished in 1771. It has a tower at the west
end, with a bell and clock, presented by Francis
Sitwell, esq. Within is a good organ, erected in
1755, and the galleries are supported by two rows of
Corinthian pillars. It is a chapel of case to Trinity
church.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 199
St. James's is a handsome modern building, erected
by subscription, upon the glebe land belonging to the
vicarage, according to an act of parliament passed in
1788, and was consecrated the 5th of August, 1789.
The chapel at the Dulce of Norfolk's hospital, re-
built in 1777, is of an octagon form; and was princi-
pally designed for the use of pensioners, who have
daily prayers performed here. It is calculated to
contain a large congregation, but its construction is
unfavourable to the hearers.
There are seven different meeting-houses, and one
for quakers, besides a Romish chapel.
On the eastern side of the river Sheaf, near the
bridge, is an hospital, erected in 1670, by Henry
Earl of Norwich, great grandson of Gilbert, Earl of
Shrewsbury, in pursuance of his last will and testa-
ment, and endowed with divers estates. March 3,
1770, Edward Duke of Norfolk gave by deed 1000/.
for the augmentation of the funds of the said hospital,
which sum was applied by the trustees towards build-
ing a new chapel on the site of the old one. This
hospital maintains 15 men, and 15 women, aged, de-
cayed housekeepers, for each of whom is provided a
house and garden, with a pension of five shillings per
week, besides clothes and coals. The other hospital
was founded in 1703, by Mr. Thomas Hollis, a mer-
chant in London, for the benefit of 16 poor cutlers'
widows. They have each a separate habitation, and
61. 10a-. a year, which is paid in measure quarterly,
two cart loads of coals annually, and a brown gown
and petticoat every second year. Upon the same
foundation 4/. a quarter is paid to a master for teach-
ing 40 boys to read; and 5/. per annum to a writing
master for instructing a number of boys during three
or four of the summer months.
At the north-west corner of Trinity church-yard, is
the Charity School for poor boys, instituted in 1708,
and supported by annual subscription.
At the opposite corner of the same church-yard,
there is another Charity School, for clothing, feeding,
200 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
and instructing poor girls, erected in 1786. They
are admitted at the age of seven, and continue till
they are fourteen or fifteen, at the option of the trus-
tees, after which age they are hired out to proper
places. This charity is also supported by annual sub-
scriptions.
West from hence is a Free Grammar-School,^ the
patent for which was granted by James I. It has a
head master (who must be a graduate in one of the
universities), and an usher. The head master has a
good house adjoining to the school.
About half a mile west from the town, on 4th
September, 1793, was laid the first stone for an in-
firmary ; towards which near 17,000/. had been then
subscribed.
In 1762 was erected, on the south-east part of the
town, in Norfolk-street, an assembly-room and a
theatre, by the joint subscription of about 30 gentle-
men of the town. The theatre has been since pulled
doun, and built upon a larger plan.
On the south side of Trinity church-yard, is the
Cutlers' Hall, where business relative to the corpora-
tion is transacted, erected in 1726.
At the south-east corner of Trinity church-yard is
the Town Hall, built in 1700, where the town affairs
are settled, and the sessions held.
On August 31, 1786, a new market-place was
opened, containing extensive and commodious sham-
bles, and other conveniences, erected by the Duke of
Norfolk.
The population of Sheffield in 1811, amounted to
35,840 persons, and the houses 7652. The markets
are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays : the fish-markets
on Monday and Thursday are well supplied from the
eastern coast.
It appears from the town-seal, and other circum-
stances, that Sheffield has been a staple for iron ma-
nufactures from the year 1297, especially for falchion
heads, arrow piles, and an ordinary sort of knives,
called whittles; but in process of time, other articles
TOPOGRAPHICAL DFSCRIPTION. 201
of more importance being invented, the cutlery trade
was pursued in the town and neighbourhood, consist-
ing of the manufacture of sheers, knives, scissars,
scythes, and sickles, &c. About the year 1600, be-
gan to be manufactured an ordinary sort of iron to-
bacco boxes, and a musical instrument called a Jew's
trump. In 1638 files and razors began to be made.
In 1640 clasp or spring knives began to be manufac-
tured, with iron handles, which, in a short time were
covered with liorn, bone, tortoise-shell, &cc. still, how-
ever, it appears, that, for near a century succeeding,
the Sheffield manufactures discovered more of indus-
try than ingenuity: the workmen durst not exert their
abilities in labour for fear of being overstocked with
goods. Their trade was inconsiderable, confined, and
precarious. None presumed to extend their traffic
beyond the bounds of this island; and most were con-
tent to wait the coming of a casual trader, rather tlian
to carry their goods, with much labour and expence,
to an uncertain market. The produce of the manu-
factory used to be carried weekly by pack-horses to
the metropolis. About sixty years ago, Mr. Joseph
Broadbent first opened an immediate trade with the
continent ; and the river Don being made navigable
up to within three miles to the town in 1751, greatly
facilitated the conveyance of goods abroad. Master
manufacturers began to visit London in search of or-
ders with good success. Several factors now esta-
blished a correspondence with various parts of the
continent, and engaged foreigners as clerks in their
counting-liouses. The roads began to be improved,
and Britain and Ireland were thoroughly explored in
search of trade. The fairs in different 'jjarts of the
kingdom annually decreased in their importance, be-
cause shop-keepers could be easily supplied with
goods at any time of tlie year. Buttons of plated
metal had been made by Mr. J. Bolsover for a con-
siderable time; but about 1758 a manufactory of this
material was begun by Mr. Joseph Hancock, an in-
genious mechanic, comprehending a great variety of
202 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
articles, such as saucepans, tea-urns, coftee-pota,
cups, tankards, candlesticks, &c. &c. Since that
time, this branch has been pursued by numerous com-
panies, wliich has greatly contributed to the wealth
and population of the town.
The cutlers' and smiths' manufactures are encou-
raged and advanced by the neighbouring mines of
iron, particularly for files, and knives, or whittles,
and it is reputed to excell Binningham in these wares,
as that does this town in locks, hinges, nails, and
polished steel. The first mills in England for turning
grind-stones were also set up here. Many of the
houses here look black from the continual smoke of
the forges. Here are about six hundred master cut-
lers, incorporated by the style of the Cutlers of Hal-
lamshire, (of which this is reckoned the chief town),
who have employed not less than forty thousand per-
sons in the iron manufactures, and each of the mas-
ters gives a particular stamp to his wares. The act
for the establishment of this company was passed in
1625, and an amendment made in 1791. It is go-
verned by a master, two wardens, six searchers, and
twenty-four assistants. The master is elected an-
nually on the last Thursday in August, after hav-
ing passed through the inferior offices.
The river Don, which being joined wirh the Sheaf^
runs hence to Rotherham, is navigable at about three
miles distant from Sheffield : and from thence to and
above the town, great number of works are erected
upon it for forging, slitting, and preparing the iron and
steel for the Sheffield manufactures, and for grinding
knives, scissars, sheers, &c.
The rising ground on every side of Sheffield is co-
vered with plantations, and it has the advantage of
Leeds in clean streets, as also in the appearance of the
neighbouring country.
Sheffield Manor-house, about a mile distant to the
east, is mostly in ruins, except that one part of it
which has been converted into a farm-house, and other
parts have been made into dwellings for poor people.
TOPOGHAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 203
one large turret of the original building being now only
left standing; this was formerly the seat of the Earls of
Shrewsbury. Here Cardinal Wolsey w^as taken ill, in
his way to London, and died at Leicester; and here
Mary Queen of Scots was for some time kept prisoner.
The environs of Sheffield are finely romantic; the
eminence on which the town stands is surrounded by
hills of much greater height, making it appear as if si-
tuated in a valley.
A large portion of sandy soil in Sheffield-park, in
the summer of 1820, engaged a number of labourers
in its cultivation by spade-husbandry; a laudable mode
of employing the poor, which had been previously
adopted at Birmingham.
The parish of Sheffield extends about nine miles
from north-east to south-west, and about five miles
from north to south, and about six from east to west.
It has two chapels of ease under Trinity church, viz.
Atterclifte, one mile and a half north-east, and Ec-
cleshall, three miles south-west from the town.
Journey from Boroughhridge to Bawtry; through
Fontefract and Doncuster.
BoROUGHBP.iDGE, SO Called from the bridge here
over the river Ure, is a town of very ancient ori-
gin, having without doubt risen out of the ruins of
IsuRiUM Brigaktum, and is situated upon the old
Roman road denominated Watling Street. It is a
-small borough town, sending two members to parlia-
ment, in consequence of a particularly qualified bur-
gage tenure, and was first summoned to return repre-
sentatives by Queen Mary in 1553. Boroughhridge
is in the Aldborough parish, to which it has a chapel
of ease.
In the year 1318 this town was burnt by the
Scots. The principal business of the place at present
arises from its thoroughfare situation on the great
north road. The river Ure is navigable from hence
to Ripon. The market is on Saturday. Here also
are annual races.
204 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
About half a mile from the town are three large
upright stones, about 200 f(?et asunder, called by the
country people the DeviVs Arrows. There were for-
merly fonr, and are supposed to have been fixed here
by the Romans. The easternmost, or highest of these
pyramidal obelisks, is 22 feet and a half high, by four
broad, and by four and a half in girth; the second 21f
feet by bl; the third 16 1 feet by 8^:.
Two miles east from Boroughbridge is Aldbo-
Roucii, on the river Wharfe, a place of great antiquity,
supposed to have been the Isurium Brigantum,
mentioned above. — The present town of Aldborough
contains about 500 inhabitants, but with respect to
its buildings, it has only the appearance of a village;
it, however, ranks as a borough, and returns two
members to parliament; all the inhabitants who pay
taxes have a right to vote.
About four miles from Boroughbridge, in a moist
bottom, is the source of the Ouse, covered with
stone, in which are two round openings ; and a stone
obelisk, without a date, erected by Henry Tiiompson,
esq. of Kirby Hall.
About five miles south of Boroughbridge is Allerton
Mauleverer, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Stour-
ton, with a park containing nearly 400 acres of rich
land. Here was formerly a priory of Benedictines,
founded by Richard IMauleverer in the reign of Henry
If. When these foreign cells were dissolved, Henry VI.
settled the revenues of this place on King's College,
Cambridge. Lord Stourton, who purchased this es-
tate of Colonel Thornton in 1805, has made great
improvements and additions to the house.
WETHERBY
Is a small well-built market-town, twelve miles
from Boroughbridge, pleasantly situated upon the river
Wharfe, over which it has a noble bridge; above which
the river forms a beautiful cascade, by falling in a
grand sheet of water over a high dam, erected for
the conveniency of the mills, where they not only
TOPOGRAPHICAL DLSCRIlMIOy. 205
grind corn but press great quantities of oil from rape-
seed, and rasp logwood fur tlie use of the clothiers
and dyers.
Here is a weekly market on Thursday. Within a
mile of the town is Wetherby-grange, the seat of Ri-
chard Thompson, esq. In this park is a herom-y, a
thing not very common in this part of the country. A
little below Wetherby is St. Helen's Ford, where the
Roman military road crossed the river Wharfe.
Aberford or Abberford, about nine miles south
from Wetherby, in Camden's time was noted for its
manufacture of pins, which were in great request
among the ladies: it is situated on the great Roman
causeway, now perfect on the south side of the river
Cock. It has a market on Wednesday. — Near the
river are the ruins of an old fortification called Cas-
tlecary.
The town, a long straggling place, stands on a rock
of limestone, and the houses are built of stone : the
population is about 700. From Aberford to Brother-
ton, near Ferrybridge, the country is almost entirely
a limestone rock. At Parlington, about a mile south-
ward, is the agreeable mansion of the late Sir Thomas
Gascoigne, by whose death that ancient family name
is extinct.
At Berwick-in-Elmet, three miles west from
Aberford, is said to have been a villa of the Northum-
brian kings, situate near the source of the Cock or
Coker: and not far from it was a famous stone quarry,
called Petres Post, as affording stone for the magnifi-
cent church at York given by the Vavasors, owners
of tl)e quarry, who had a seat at Hesselwood.
About five miles south east from Aberford is Shir-
liURNE, where King Athelstan had a palace, which
he gave, with great part of the town, to the Archbi-
shop of York ; out of the ruins of which the parish
church is supposed to have been erected. — Here is an
Hospital and Free-school, founded by Robert Hungate,
with exhibitions to St. John's College, Cambridge.
About six inilcs from Sherbourne is Brotherton,
206 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
" where, according to Leland, Thomas, sunne to King
Edward I. was borne ; the Quene by chaunce labour-
ing as she went on hunting." Near the church is a
place of twenty acres, surrounded by a trench and
wall, where stood the house in whicli the queen was
delivered, and the tenants are bound to keep it sur-
rounded by a wall of stone.
At Castleford, about two miles to the left, the
Roman station is now called the Castlegarth, and is
near the church. Abundance of Roman coins and
other antiquities have been found here. Two miles
from hence is
PONTEFRACT,
A well-built town, situated near the confluence of
the rivers Aire and Don. Pontefract Castle was sup-
posed to be the strongest castle in the kingdom. It is
said to have been originally built hy Alric, a Saxon, be-
fore the Conquest ; and afterwards enlarged by Ilbert
de Lacy, to whom it was then given. It was here that
Henry, Earl of Lancaster, who was lord of the castle,
and whose ancestors had beautified, enlarged, and for-
tified it, was beheaded by his nephew Edward II. with
three or four more of the English barons. Richard
II. was cruelly murdered in this castle, and here An-
thony Earl Rivers, and Sir Richard Gray, the uncle
and brother-in-law of Edward V. were beheaded by
Richard III. Pontefract Castle was the last that held
out for Charles I. in the Civil Wars.
The houi>es here, mostly built of brick, are handsome,
the streets open, spacious, and clean, as the town on
every side is approached by a considerable ascent.
Pontefract is surrounded by seats of nobles and opu-
lent commoners, and the society is select. Here is at
present only one church, in which divine service is per-
formed : this in the reign of Henry I. was styled St.
Mary de Foro, though for more than three hundred
years past it has obtained the name of St. Giles. It has
been enlarged both in length and in breadth, and its
chancel has been recently ornamented with a fine
painting by John Standish, a self-taught artist and
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESClllPTION. 207
native of the town. The subject is the Crucifixion, and
all the figures resemble life. The magnificent church
of All-Hallows received so much damage in the Civil
Wars, that it was impossible to repair it, and it at pre-
sent wears the appearance of a venerable ruin. Here
were several other places devoted to religion; the
chantry or church of St. Thomas was erected on the
spot where Thomas Earl of Lancaster was beheaded
in the reign of Edward II. A. D. 1322. — The priory of
St. Jolm was founded by Robert de Lacy in 1090, for
monks of the Order of St. Benedict. The remains of
this ancient building are among the possessions of Lord
Harewood. — The Dominicans, or Black Friars, had a
house nearly in the centre of the garden called Friar's
Wood, on the west of the town. The Carmelites and
Austin Friars had also houses in this place. At pre-
sent, besides the parish church, the Dissenters, Me-
thodists, the Friends, and the Roman Catholics liave
each a meeting-house or chapel. The market on Sa-
turday is well supplied with butchers' meat, poultry,
and fish, the corn market too is considerable. At the
market-cross, formerly called Oswald's cross, it is said,
anciently none could be arrested, and a free way
leading to it with about five yards round it, was long
kept unpaved in memory of this privilege. In 1735
this old cross was pulled down, and a handsome dome,
supported by Doric pillars, was erected in its stead.
Fortnight fairs are held on the Saturdays after the
fortnight fairs at York. The population of the town
is 3200. From the gardens and nurseries about here,
great quantities of garden stuff and seedlings are car-
ried to distant parts. The liquorice cakes of Ponte-
fract are well known not only throughout the British
empire, but also in foreign countries.
Pontefract Castle, which has frequently made a
figure in English history, having been held for Charles
I. was redu ced by the tremendous effects of artillery,
and afterwards demolished by order of parliament.
Excepting the solid mound on which it stood, and a
i\ small round tower, little of this fortress remains,
T 2
Q08 WEST HIDING OF YORKSIIIllE.
The environs of Pontefract are adorned with many
elegant mansions, viz. I\Iethley-park, the seat of the
Earl of Mexborouirh; seven miles to the north-west,
Nostei, the seat of — Williamson, esq. ; Hemsworth,
Sir Francis Wood ; Ackworth, the seat of Colonel
Baldwin; Ackworth Moor-top, the Earl of Darling-
ton; Ackworth villa, Charles Mortimer, esq.; and
Ackworth-park, J. 11. Jessop, esq.
A monument is erected near Pontefract, to com-
memorate that important event ever memorable in
British annals, the Victory of Waterloo, which forms
a pleasing object to the surrounding country.
Knottingley, on the Aire, near Pontefract, has been
noted for its trade in lime. The limestone plentifully
obtained at Elmet, is chiefly used for manure.
Ackworth School. This is a celebrated seminary,
situated between the two villagesof Upper and Lower
Ackworth. This is a spacious stone edifice, the main
body fronts to the south, and two wings standing east
and west are joined to it by colonnades. This school
was originally an appendage to the Foundling Hospital
in London. In the year 1777 the premises being offered
for sale, it was purchased by the Society of Friends,
for the education of their children. The whole busi-
ness of the institution is conducted by two Commit-
tees of Friends, one residing in London, and the other
in the country. Nothing can exceed the order and
decorum that prevail in these schools, which, with
the healthful and pleasant situation, render it an eli-
gible place of education.
Ferrybridge is a large and handsome village
about a mile from Pontefract: the stone bridge, since
rebuilt, consisted in Leland's time " of seven arches,
and the thoroughfare then no great thing but netely
builded." It is still one 'of the principal passes over
the Aire.
DONCASTER
Is a fine market-town, pleasantly situated on the
south bank of the Don, on a narrow ridge of land. It
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 209
is Oil the great north road, and (jne of the gentcelcst
towns between London and Edinburgh. The entrance
from Bawtry is magnificent: at first, the race-ground,
enclosed by a beautiful railing; the grand stand; a
superb boarding school for young ladies, and a large
and lofty house built by J. H. M^w, esq., all at once
meet the eye; and afterwards the obelisk called Hall-
Cross. All these present themselves to the view, to-
gether with a range of most elegant houses. The
High-street, with Hall-gate, French-gate, and Marsh-
gate, extend nearly a mile in length, from the Hall-
cross on the south-east, to the 2vlill-bridge on the
north-west, all these gates forming one continuous
line. From the northern extremity of the town to the
west end of St. Sepulchre's gate, in the roatl to Ro-
therham and Sheffield, the distance exceeds half a
mile. On the eastern side of St. Sepulchre's gate, se-
veral new streets have been laid out, and many com-
modious houses built. The town is, generally speak-
ing, well built in every part, except that between the
corn-market and the river.
The principal public buildings are the parish church,
dedicated to St. George, the mansion-house, the town-
hall, and the theatre. The church stands on the site
of an ancient castle, near the banks of the Don. The
time of its erection is ditficult to ascertain; its elegant
tower is certainly of a much later period than the rest
of the edifice, though its architecture resembles that of
the reign of Henry HI. The chief relic of antiquity
it contains is a Saxon font, still used for the purpose
of baptism. It is a hard sort of free-stone, and from
its date 1061, now obliterated, appears to have been
made in the time of Edward the Confessor, five years
before the Norman Conquest. Here are also a Pres-
byterian meeting, the Methodist chapel, a meeting
for the Friends, the Independent Chapel, &c. An
hospital erected in the 30th of Queen Elizabeth,
maintains six decayed housekeepers of good condition;
a public dispensary, and a work-house for the em-
ployment and maintenance of the poor. The mansion-
T 3
24ty WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
house, nearly in the centre of tlie town, is a magnifi-
cent structure; built soon after 1744. The town-liall
was repaired and beautified in the year 1784. In the
lower apartments is the Free Grammar-School. Here
is likewise a commodious theatre. The markets are
held near the middle of the town, in some spacious
areas. There are few markets in the county where a
greater quantity of grain is sold. In a large square
called the Magdalenes, fish is sold, and the garden-
ers stand with their vegetables, and the dealers in
pottery with their wares. Here are wool-markets on
several Saturdays after the time of sheep-shearing.
Doncaster also possesses an excellent race-ground,
wliere, besides his Majesty's plate of 100 guineas, a
gold cup of the same value is given by the stewards.
During the races the town is crowded with families of
the first distinction: every evening exhibits a brilliant
ball at the mansion-house, and a play at the theatre.
Lodgings of course let high.
In the vicinity of Doncaster are several seats be-
longing to respectable families; and within three quar-
ters of a mile to the south is Car-house, built in
1604, by Hugh Childers, esq. that year Mayor ©f
Doncaster, whose grandson, Leonard Childers, bred
at this place the fleetest race-horse ever known in
England. Nether-hall, a little to the north-east of
this town, was long a seat of the ancient family of the
Copleys. Further on is Wheatley-hall, built by Sir
H. Cooke, about the year 1680: before the south-
front of the house is a beautiful lawn, decorated with
some of the finest oaks in the county; but when the
river Don overflows, the inundated country to the
north has a dreary appearance.
About five miles south-east from Doncaster on the
road to Rotherham, isCoNisF.OEOUGii, alarge and very
fine village, remarkable for its ancient castle upon a
rocky eminence on the south side of the Don. In the
church, an ancient structure, many of the Bosville fa-
mily are interred. The ground plot of the castle is
rather of an oval form, about 700 feet in circuit, nearly
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 211
surrounded by a fosse forty feet deep, now full of large
ash and elm trees. The lower part of most of the
outward wall, and several rounders by which it was
strengthened, still remain ; the strong tower, or keep,
which is 78 feet in height, is still entire ; but when
this castle was built, or when it began to fall to de-
cay, is not known, and the tradition concerning it is
too vague for belief. It seems most probable to have
been built by William, first Earl of Warren, to whom
this estate was given by the Conqueror. Richard
de Conisboroucrh, another of its possessors, and Earl
of Cambridge, received his name from being born
iiere.
At the inn kept here by Mr. Whaley, the following
account of a feast is framed and hung up in a room,
and which is copied by many tourists, as a notable
instance of the change of times and circumstances in
regard to the value of money:
" The expences of Ralph de Beeston and Sir Si-
mon de Baldriston, at Conisborough, on Monday, the
Morrow of the Holy Cross, in the 14 year of King
Edward, the son of Edward II. In bread l.s. 6d. ;
in four gallons of wine 2.5. ; in twelve gallons of ale
bought atDoncaster, Is. 6d.; in sixteen gallons of ale
bought at Coningsborough, Is. 4d.; in shambles meat
bought, 2s.; in eight fowls Is.; in two geese 8d. ; in
eggs 5d. ; in two pounds of candles 3|c?.; in a woman's
wages for fetching the ale, Id. ; in provender for the
horses, Is. 3c?."
Cusworth-hall, about two miles nearly west from
Doncaster, is an elegant mansion, and one of the
finest situations in this part of the kingdom. Within
the mansion is a small but elegant chapel, and over
the communion-table a fine picture of the Good Sa-
maritan.
Askern, or Askron, eight miles north of Doncaster,
is a fashionable water-drinking place.
At Bilham, five miles west of Doncaster, is an ele-
gant building, called the Belvidere, or Belle-vue, from
which is the richest prospect in the West Riding. It
212 WEST RIDING OF YORKSniRE.
is Stated, that seventy churches may be seen from
this building.
About four miles south of Doncaster, is an inclo-
sure of about two acres, called Caerhouse, now a de-
coy under water, except in dry seasons, wliere foun-
dations of buildings may be seen, called by a name
like Portry Caer, or Pautry, and said to have been a
city sunk in the marshes.
Bawtry is a small market-town, four miles east of
Tickhill, and nine south-east from Doncaster, situated
on the edge of Yorkshire, a few of the houses stand-
ing in Nottinghamshire. The town is handsome and
well built: the street through which runs the great
North Road from London to York, is remarkably
broad, and contains several elegant houses. The
upper part of this street is the market-place, in which
are very good shambles. The market was formerly
held on Wednesday, but has been recently changed
for Thursday. The population of Bawtry was re-
turned at 918. ']'he town stands on an eminence,
gently sloping towards the north and east towards the
river Idle, navigable for small craft. On the western
side of the town the ground is high ; but the marshes
on the eastern side are subject to frequent inunda-
tions. The elegant mansion of the Countess of Gal-
way, in this town, is built of brick, and has an ex-
tensive front towards the south. It stands on the
west side of the great North Road, and would make
a noble appearance, if it was not almost concealed
by a lofty brick wall. The pleasure-grounds are ex-
tensive; and in a little beautiful area surrounded
with shrubs is an elegant menagerie, stocked with
Chinese pheasants, and other curious birds.
At the distance of one mile from Bawtry, on the great
North Road, is the village of Scrooby, remarkable for
having had a palace belonging to the Archbishops of
York, who are still lords of the manor. Scrooby was
a hunting-seat, the favourite residence of Archbishop
Savage, in the reign of Henry VII. In the next
reign it was the occasional residence of Cardinal
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 213
Wolsey; and in Queen Elizabeth's reign /\rcI)bisliop
Sandys sometimes resided here. The palace stood in
a very damp and low situation, where the Ryton joins
the river Idle. The large gateway and porter's lodge
were taken down towards the end of tlie last century,
and the only remaining part of this large palace has
been many years since converted into a farm-house.
jV little to the north-west of Bawtry, and near a
farm-house called Marton, are some ridges, the sup-
posed remains of a camp; however, some ancient
weapons, and other indications of a battle, have been
found in the grounds adjacent.
At Haworth, near Bawtry, an hospital was founded
by Robert Moreton, for a chaplain and poor people,
before the year 131C, which still exists under the
patronage of the Archbishop of Yorli.
TiCKHiLL is situated four miles west of Bawtry.
The market on Friday is almost disused. This town
lies in a valley watered by a brook, and being a strag-
gling place, covers a deal of ground. Some of the
houses are of brick, others of stone, but only a few
are handsomely built. The church and the ancient
castle are the most conspicuous objects; the former
is a spacious and handsome structure, with a lofty and
beautiful tower, apparently built in the reign of
Henry III., as the chancel contains an inscription in
barbarous and abbreviated Latin, on a brass plate, to
the memory of William Eastfield, Seneschal of the
Lordship of Ilolderness and the Honour of Tickhill,
who died December 24th, in the year 138G. Of the
castle, little remains but the lofty mound on which
the keep formerly stood, with tlie ditch, and part of
some walls ; but an ancient gateway, forming the en-
trance to the western side, is the most curious part
of the ruins. The northern part of the structure, with
modern repairs and additions, is the seat of the Hon.
Frederick Lumley. A great part of the ground
within the walls is converted into gardens and shrub-
beries. After the battle of Marston-moor, and the
surrender of York to the parliament's forces, the Earl
214 WEST niDiNG or yokkshire.
of Manchester sent Colonel Lilburn to reduce ^he
castle of Tickhill, which surrendered in a few days.
It is remarked, that as the royalists here in garrison
liad plundered all the country round, they were better
supplied with provisions than with military stores. A
little to the west of the town, in a deep valley, are
the ruins of an ancient priory of Augustines, founded
by a dean of St. Paul's. The population of Tickhill,
in 1811, was stated at 1508.
About four miles from Tickhill isSANDBECK-PAKK,
the seat of the Earl of Scarborough ; near to which
are the remains of Roche Abbey, founded for Cister-
tians in the year 1147. The ruins are hidden by a
steep woody cliff toward the south, and by large rocks
towards the north and north-east; the north and
south sides are bounded by woods. To the east is a
large reservoir of water, formed by the collected
stream of a rivulet that runs amongst the ruins. The
banks on each side this water are steep and clothed
with wood, interspersed with fragments of rocks and
ruins. One side of the nave of the church, and some
unconnected arches, are all that are now left of the
original building, except several fragments, which are
dispersed for above a mile.
The different offices, out-buildings, farm-house, and
gardens, are well planned, and perfectly calculated
for convenience and comfort. As the house stands
nearly in the middle of a noble park, vistas have been
cut through it to the westward, and at the extremity
of one of these, the spire of Laughton church forms
a fine tenninus.
The stone of which this abbey was built, was dug
up out of the famous quarry near adjoining, so well
known to masons by the name of " Roche-abbey
stone,'' which for whiteness and beauty is unequalled.
Journey from Doncaster to Thorne^ Snaith, and
Selby.
About four miles before we reach Thornc, is Hat-
field, where Ceadwalla King of the Britons, with
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 215
Penila King of Mercia, slew Edwin, tlie first Christiiin
King of Northumberland, with his eldest son Offrid,
in the year 933. Near the town are many entrencli-
ments. William, the second son of Edward III. was
born here.
Platfield is a large and pleasant village, and con-
tains several handsome houses inhabited by gentle-
men of fortune, especially the mansion-house of flat-
field, now the residence of William Jessop, esq. who
married the heiress of that ancient family. The
church is large, and has a lofty and elegant tower; it
was probably originally built by the Saxons, but the
present structure does not appear to be of a period
anterior to that of Henry III.
Hatfield-Chace, the largest in England, comprising
above 180,000 acres, one half of which was yearly
overflowed, was by Charles I. sold toCol. Vermuiden,
without the consent of the commissioners and tenants,
to dischase, drain, and cultivate; which he at length
effected at the expence of 400,000/. and drained
above half. In the middle of Hatfield Waste lived
an hermit, called William of Lindholme; his stud-
bound cell was remaining in 1747, close to a well of
clear spring water; at the east end of it stood an altar
of hewn stone, and at the west end the hermit's
grave, covered with a stone slab, 8| feet by three.
Under this stone was found the skull, leg, and thigh
bones, all of a very large size, and a small piece of
beaten copper.
THORNE,
Is an improving town, situated upon the river Don,
about nine miles from Doucaster. The marshes sur-
rounding this town have been completely drained, and
several new roads and canals formed, very much to
the advantage of the place.
In the marshes round Thome great quantities of
black oak have been found. These trees had been,
burnt or cut down, and stone and wooden wedges,
and broken axe-heads, were found with them, also fir
216 WEST HIDING OF YORKSHIRF,
cones and acorns, and Roman coins of Vespasian and
other emperors. In digging the different drainage-
cuts, were found gates, ladders, hammers, shoes, nuts,
&c. From the position of the trees and roots, and
other circumstances, it is evident they grew where
they were found, being probably forests cut down and
burnt by the Ilomans.
Here is a market on Wednesday. Vessels trade
regularly from this town to London ; those, sufficiently
large for the coasting trade, are built in the suburb
called Hangman Hill, on the banks of the river. On
the south and soutb.-east is the flat country forming
the west side of the Isle of Aixholm, in Lincolnshire,
and the much greater level of Hatfield-Chace. The
population of Thorne in 1811 was 2,713. This place
has carried on considerable commerce by the river
Don, and a canal cut from this stream to the Trent,
passes within a furlong of the west end of this town.
SNAITII,
Is about seven miles from Thorne. It is a small
market-town, with a population of about 700 ; situated
about half a mile south of the river Aire. The church
is a handsome ancient structure, dedicated to St.
Laurence, in which are interred, in the family vault,
all the ajicestors of the noble family of Lord Viscount
Downe, who has a seat at Cowick, a large village,
about half a mile south-east from Snaith, near the
confluence of the Don and Aire, At the west end of
the town stands an old hall, formerly the residence of
the Yarboroughs. The market is on Thursday.
SELBY,
Is a brisk market-town, situated on the banks of
the river Ouse, eight miles north from Snaith. There
is a very handsome wooden bridge here, much admired
by strangers. The church must have been an elegant
Gothic structure. In 1690 part of this beautiful
edifice, with half of the steeple, fell down suddenly.
It has since been rebuilt.
TOPOGnAPHICAL DtSCRIPIIUN. 217"
The only raoiiuineiits of consequence in Selby
church are two knights and a lady, and a slab for
Abbot Selby, 1504. The ancient wooden stalls re-
main in the choir. At the south-west corner of the
church they shew the room, now in ruins, where they
say Henry I. was born, but it is rather the building of
some abbot: the walls are painted with large figures
of religious with scrolls, and on the cornice at top is
the following imperfect inscription :
Sucre domus ure conslructum eat istud (edificlum per
Rob. Deping ahbatem hujus monasteriu
Robert Deping was abbot here from 1501 to J 5 18,
A handsome Gothic cross has been set up in the
market-place.
Here are the remains of an extensive monastery,
which was destroyed at the dissolution of religious
houses.
Selby has a good Grammar School, founded by
Edward VI. and well endowed.
William the Conqueror founded an abbey at Selby,
on account of its being the birth-place of his son
Henry I. The abbots sat in parliament.
By the canal from hence communicating with the
Aire and Calder navigation with Leeds, Selby be-
comes the unloading port into the West Riding of
Yorkshire.
Here is a good market on Monday. The fine
drawbridge over the Ouse was erected in the latter
part of the eighteenth century, and facilitates the
communication with the East Riding.
The soil in the neighbourhood of Selby is various,
part of it sandy, and part a hazel clay. The chief
proprietors are Lord Petre, and the Archbi-ihop of
York. There are also a great number of copyholders.
A considerable quantity of woad, or rather weld for
dyers, is raised in this neighbourhood; it is sown with
red clover, and when it is in full bloom it is pulled
by women and boys who go before the mowers. It
u
218 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
grows well upon all land fit for turnips, and is fre-
quently taken by itself as a crop. Large quantities
of potatoes are also raised in this parish, and near
the town a great deal of flax is grown, which is almost
all cleaned and dressed in the country ; a small pro-
portion is allowed to stand for seed.
The warp lands in this neighbourhood are pccuHarly
rich. The warp is deposited upon lands adjoining
the rivers Ouse and Aire, by means of sluices which
admit and retain the water until the sediment is ob-
tained. Upon such land they do not venture to sow
wheat, as it stands in danger of being perished, but
from the richness of the soil great crops of spring corn
are raised.
In Wiston church, nearSelby, is a monument, fixed
sideways in the wall, of a lady in a wimple and veil^
and round the stone this inscription :
Vous ke passes parici : priez pur lalme dame Margerie,
Ke: gist: id a vous: Ihu criemarci.
About five niiles from Selby is Cawood.
The Archbishop Wulstan obtained Cawood for the
see of York, from Athelstan, in the tenth century.
Archbishop Neville, in the reign of Richard IE. laid
out much upon it. In the time of Henry IV. Arch-
bishop Oennet built the hall, and his successor Kemp
the gate-house, now standing. The castle was de-
molished during the Civil War. The vaults and
foundations were dug up about forty years since.
The market at Cawood is on Wednesday. The
famous Cardinal Wolsey resided at his palace at
Cawood, a whole summer, and part of the winter,
when he was arrested on a charge of high treason by
the Earl of Northumberland, wlio had orders to con-
duct him to London ; but the death of the cardinal
at Leicester, terminated the business.
Of this once magnificent palace of the Archbishops
of York, nothing is now left but the ruins of the great
gateway, before noticed, and some other fragments,
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 219
which the corroding tooth of time will probably soon
annihilate.
YORK.
The city of York, as it now stands, is nearly two
miles and three quarters in circuit. The entrance
into the city are by four principal gates or bars, and
five posterns. The gates are, Micklegate-Bar to the
south-west, the entrance from Tadcaster; Bootham-
Bar on the north-west^ on the road leading to New-
castle and Edinburgh ; Monk-Bar, the entrance from
Malton and Scarborough ; and Wahiigate-Bar on the
south-east, the road to Beverley and Hull. The
posterns are North-street postern, Skeldergate postern,
Castlegate postern, Fishergate postern, Laythorp
postern, Castlegate and Long-Walk postern. There
are also six bridges, viz.Ouse-bridge, consisting of five
arches, the middlemost of which is eighty-one feet in
the span, and seventeen feet high ; Castlegate-bridge,
of one arch ; Foss-bridge, of two arches ; Laythorp-
bridge of five arches ; Monk-bridge of three arches ;
and the new bridge in the Long- Walk, of one arch.
Of all these, the first alone is over the Ouse; all the
others are over the Foss. Monk-bridge is in the
suburbs at a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile
from the bar and the walls of the city.
Of the four great gates of the city, Micklegate-Bar
is the most magnificent ; it is adorned with lofty
turrets, and finely embattled : over the Roman arch,
hangs a large shield, bearing the arms of England and
France, painted and gilt, and on each side one of a
less size, decorated with the arms of the city.
Boothara-Bar, is a very ancient structure, being built
almost wholly of grit; but though the materials are
Roman, the architecture is old English. In 1719, the
inside of the gate was rebuilt with freestone. Monk-
Bar is a handsome gate, with a great quantity of grit-
stones in its foundation. The arms of France are
quartered with those of England on the battlements.
Walmgate-Bar has a more modern appearance than
y 2 ^
220 WEST RIDING OF YORKSUIKE.
the others, having undergone a thorough repair in
1643, after having been nearly demolished by the
parliamentary forces.
York is divided into four districts or wards, which
take their names from the four gates of the city.
On entering the city by Micklegate-Bar, the first ob-
ject that strikes the eye, is an ancient gateway on the
right side of the street. This was the portal to the
Priory of tlie IIoLy Trinity, which occupied within its
precincts a large extent of ground, now called Trinity-
gardens. Behind these gardens, within a hundred
yards of the Ouse, is the Vetus Ballium, or Old Baile,
implying a prison, a keep, or place of security, a word
of Norman origin, given after the Conquest.
The city of York has been much improved during
the late reign. The streets have been widened in
many places, by taking down a number of old houses,
built in such a manner as almost to meet at the upper
stories. They have also been newly paved, and ad-
ditional drains made. The erection of the locks
upon the Ouse, about four miles below the city, lias
been a great advantage to it, for before this, the river
was frequently very low, leaving quantities of sludge
and dirt in the very heart of the place, also the filth
and mud of the common sewers, which it was unable
to wash away.
York castle and the County-liall are grand and con-
spicuous buildings, near the confluence of the rivers
Ouse and Foss. The area within the castle walls is
1100 yards in circumference, in which all the debtors
are allowed to walk. The present noble structure
was erected in 1701, after the ruinous towers of the
Conqueror were taken down. The prison in the right
wing reflects honour to the country, on account of
the capaciousness and convenience of the apartments.
In the left wing is a handsome convenient chapel.
The day-room for men is 26 feet by 8 ; the cells in
general are about seven feet and a half by six and a
half and upwards. Six solitary cells are seldom made
use of. The women felons are confined in the New
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 221
Buildings opposite the county-hall; they have two
court-yards, and a day and night room. Clifford's
Tower is situated near the castle, on a high artificial
mound, generally thought to be of Roman origin, and
consisting of four circles of segments joined together.
The tower raised upon this eminence was built by
William the Conqueror about 1068; and according
to tradition, one of that fimily was its first governor.
It was formerly defended by a deep moat, a draw-
bridge, and palisadoes. In process of time it fell to
decay, but during the Civil Wars it was fortified for
the king, and after the surrender of York, the parlia-
ment placed a garrison in it ; but in 1684, about ten
at night, it was totally ruined by a fire, by no means
supposed to have been accidental. In a part of the
building which has been repaired, a clergyman's widow
lately resided, who politely allowed her servant to
show the ruin to strangers. The sides of the artificial
mount on which it stands are planted with trees and
shrubs, and the moat so completely filled up, that the
entire space, about three acres, forms a garden.
The Cathedral. — In order to take an external view
of the whole pile, you must commence at the western
front. The two uniform towers, 196 feet in height,
diminishing as they ascend in ten several contractions,
all cloistered, for imagery, displays a richness and
grandeur of design rarely equalled. They are each
adorned with eight pinnacles at the top. In the
south tower are ten bells, allowed to form one of the
finest peals in the kingdom ; the tenor weighing
53 cwt. in the grand key of C. Above the great
door-way sits. Archbishop William de Melton, the
principal founder of this part of the church ; and be-
low, on the sides of the double doors, are the figures
of Vavasour and Percy. Over the arch is carved in
fine tracery work, the story of Adam and Eve, with
their expulsion from Paradise. The visitor will be
highly pleased to notice the repairs which the whole
of this part has lately undergone, through the correct
taste and liberality of the present dean and chapter,
u 3
222 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
M'hose active zeal for the preservation of this noble
pile is inferior to none of their predecessors.
Proceeding southward, six tall pinnacles are ob-
served, intended for buttresses to the upper part of
the nave. The images in the niches are those of the
four Evangelists, Jesus Christ, and Ai'chbishop St.
William. The south entrance is ascended by a hand-
some flight of steps, and a little spiral turret called
the Fidler^s Turret, is placed on the summit of this
end. The circular, or inarygold window, sometimes
called St. Catherine's Wheel, has also a very rich
appearance. The grand Lantern Tower will here
attract the eye. The most convenient station for a
general view of the south side is near the entrance to
the deanery; and the new library is the best for a
good prospect of the north of the cathedral. Having
passed the grand Lantern Tower, the massy buttresses
ornamented with various figures, pinnacles, &c. will
arrest the attention. A ifttle further brings the vi-
sitor to the east end, over the magnificent window of
which the statue of Archbishop Thoresby is placed,
in his archiepiscopal chair, having in his- left hand the
representation of a church, and seeming to point to
this window with his right. At the basis of this are
seventeen heads, the centre one designed to represent
the Saviour; statues of Percy and Vavasour are again
seen at this end ; but passing on the north, the
chapter-house presents itself, which with its ponderous
buttresses, &:c. merits a particular examination.
The interior of the cathedral is, in every respect,
answerable to the magnificence of its exterior. The
cross aisle displays a superb specimen. The circular
arch, not quite laid aside in Henry the Third's time,
still appears in the upper part, enclosing others of a
pointed form. The pillars that support the larger
arches are of an angular shape, and all the columns
have rich leafy capitals. The windows are long, nar-
row, and pointed, consisting of one light, or divided
into several by unramified muUions. The windows in
the south end are arranged in three tiers; the upper-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 223
most composed of two concentric circles of small
arches, is looked upon as a fine piece of masonry. In
these windows are the representations of Archbishop
St. William, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Wilfrid; but the
four figures of Abraham, Solomon, Moses, and Peter,
in the lower tier, are the work of a native artist, Mr.
Peckitt. The north and south transepts display the
same style of architecture; but in the lowermost tier
of lights, one window 4Df exquisite beauty is divided
into five, separated by stone mullions concealed from
the eye, placed at a distance by clusters of elegant
shafts, attached at intervals, and supporting arches
richly ornamented with a kind of chevron work, a relic
of the Saxon style.
From the western entrance of the Cathedral per-
haps imagination can scarcely conceive a vista of
greater magnificence. The screen dividing the nave
from the choir, rises just high enough to form a sup-
port for the organ, and does not intercept the view of
the eastern end of the church with its columns, its
arches, and its most superb window. The pillars and
shafts of the nave are not detaclied, as in the tran-
septs, but form a part of the columns that support the
arches of the side aisle. The vaulting of the roof does
not spring here from slender pillars, and flowery cor-
bels placed above the capitals of the clustered co-
lumns, but upon tall and elegant pillars rising from
the ground, and attached to these columns. Tracery
of the richest kind appears in these windows, particu-
larly in the western tront, which, when illumined by
the declining rays of the setting sun, displays a gran-
deur beyond description. The figures of the first eight
Archbishops decorate the lowermost compartment,
and above are represented eight Saints. Under the
window on each side of the great door are placed
two escutcheons, one bearing the arms of a King of
England, one of the Edwards, the other supposed to
be that of the Saxon Prince Ulphus. The upper win-
dows are elegantly adorned with imagery and escut-
cheons. Under these runs an open gallery, in which,
224 WEST RIDING Of YORKSIIIRE.
exactly over the point of the arches, formerly stood
images of the tutelar saints of the several nations of
Christendom. That of St, George and his dragon,
alone remain. The screen, separating the nave from
the choir, is now ornamented with the effigies of all
the monarchs of England, from William the Norman
to Henry V. inclusive. Throughout the whole of the
choir a greater profusion of ornament abounds than
in any other part; approaching to the high florid style
that prevailed before the end of the fifteenth century.
The windows shed their richly varied light through
numerous figures of kings, prelates, saints, escut-
cheons, and historical representations; those of the
small transepts are remarkable for their height and
elegance, reaching almost to the roof. But the east-
ern window is perhaps unrivalled in the world for
magnitude, beauty, and magnificence. This was
begun at the expence of the dean and chapter in J405,
who employed John Thornton, a glazier of Coventry,
who contracted for this labour at the rate of 4s, per
week, to be finished in the space of three years. An-
other painted window, originally brought from the
church of St. Nicholas at Rouen in Normandy, was
presented to the dean and chapter by the Earl of Car-
lisle in the year 1804. The subject is the meeting of
the Virgin with Elizabeth, the mother of John the
Baptist. The countenances of these figures may be
French, but it is evident they are not Jewish.
Among the more ancient of the tombs, that of
Archbishop Scrope merits particular notice; but nei-
ther this, nor those of Archbishops Rogers and Sa-
vage, display much ornament. The monument of
Archbisliop Greenfield, however, is a fine piece of
architecture, enriched with tracery and pinnacles, and
supported by arches and buttresses. In the south
transept is the tomb of its founder, Archbishop Wal-
ter de Grey, consisting of Yds effigy at full length in
his pontifical robes, under a high ornamented canopy,
supported by eight slender pillars. The railing, which
now surrounds this tomb, was put up at the expence
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 225
of the late Archbishop, Dr. Markham. Among the
rest of the tombs, that of Arch.bishop Henry Bowett,
who died 1423, is worthy of notice, being about 30
feet high. The monuments of laymen here bear no
proportion to those of the clergy : that to the memory
of Charles Ho \^ard, Earl of Carlisle, in the reign of
Charles II. is of marble, and of modern construction.
The monuments of the Earls of Strafford and that of
the Hon. Thomas Watson Wentworth, son of Edward
Lord Rockingham, are elegant pieces of sepulchral
architecture, but that of Sir George Saville claims the
regard of all who can appreciate extensive benevolence,
and a disinterested love of country.
In concluding this sketch of the Cathedral of York,
it may not be amiss to observe, that it is so surrounded
with ijouses, that it is difficult, or even impossible to
find a station from whence a full and distinct view of
it can be taken. The level situation of the country,
also, renders the prospect from the tops of the steeples
somewhat unpicturesque. The edges of the Wolds,
and of Hamilton Moors, distinctly seen to the east
and the north, give some variety to the prospect; and
on the south, at the distance of fifteen miles, the spire
ofSelby, and Hamilton Haugh, covered with trees, in
the middle of an extensive plain, are conspicuous ob-
jects. However, the author of a recent description
thinks that the best station for a visitor to take a ge-'
neral survey around, will be underneath the central
tower, or lantern steeple, tlie loftiest part of the edi-
fice, where the various enrichments of sculpture, ob-
served in the statuary screen, the rich tracery and
painting in the windows, and the numerous clusters
of colunms in the different aisles, all combine to shew
a scene of splendour and solemnity, which probably
no other cathedral but this of York can boast.
The cathedral service at present consists of morn-
ing prayers daily at seven, in a small vestry neatly
fitted up with pews, on the right of the south entrance,
in which also the Ecclesiastical courts are held. At
ten o'clock the daily sen'ice is performed in the choir.
226 WEST HIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
An anthem is always sung, unless there be a sermon
or litany. On Sundays and holy days a sermon is
preached. The communion is administered every
Sunday. In the afternoon at four, cathedral service
is again performed, with an anthem, throughout the
year. There are evening prayers on every week day,
at three in winter, and four in summer, in which an
anthem is performed.
N.B. On Wednesdays and Fridays in Advent and
Lent, and during the six days before Easter, there is
no choral service or singing, either morning or even-
ing. For the convenience of Sunday evening service,
the choir is illuminated from St. Luke's Day till Can-
dlemas, by seven large branches, besides a small wax
candle to every two stalls. On particular holy days the
four principal dignitaries have each a branch of seven
candles placed before them at their respective stalls.
In the old pavement of the church, were an almost
innumerable quantity of grave stones, many of which
formerly shone like embroidery, being enriched with
the images, &c. in brass, of bishops, and other eccle-
siastics, represented in their proper habits, of which
the grave-stone of Archdeacon Dalby was a striking
instance. These stones had also monumental inscrip-
tions upon them. But what was thought the most
durable by our forefathers, for this purpose, by an
unaccountable turn of fate proved the very occasion
of destruction by the fanatism of their sons.
For some time after the Reformation, this hair-
brained zeal continued to shew itself against painted
glass, stone statues, and grave-stones, many of which
were defaced and utterly destroyed, along with other
more valuable monuments of the church, till Queen
Elizabeth put a stop to those most scandalous doings
by a proclamation.
During the Civil Wars in the time of Charles I. and
the usurpation, our zealots again began their depre-
dations on grave-stones, and stripped and pillaged
them to the minutest piece of metal. It has been
urged that their hatred to popery was so great, that
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCIliPTlOK. 227
they could not endure to see an Orate pro Aruma, or
even a cross on a monument, without defacing it.
But it is plain that it was more the value of the brass,
than zeal which tempted these persons; for there was
no grave-stone which had an inscription cut into it,
that was defaced throughout the whole church.
In the old pavement of the church were a number
of circles, which ranged from the west end up the
middle aisle, on each side and in the centre. They
were about forty-four on a side, about two feet dis-
tance from one another, and as much in diameter.
Those in the midst were fewer in number, larger, and
exactly fronted the entrance of the great west door,
that circle nearest the entrance in this row being the
largest of all. We take all these to have been drawn
out for the ecclesiastics and dignitaries of the church
to stand in, habited according to their proper distinc-
tions, to receive an archbishop for installation, or on
any other solemn occasion. The dean, and the other
great dignitaries, we presume, possessed the middle
space, whilst the prebendaries, vicars, sacrists, priests
at altars, &c. belonging to the arch, ranged on each
side; and all together, when clad in their proper cope^
and vestments, must have made a glorious appear-
ance : from whence, we take it^ this aisle was called
the Processional Aisle.
The service choir is still adorned with its ancient
wood-work, carved and set up with clusters of knot-
ted pinnacles of different heights; in which are a great
number of small cells, which have had images of wood
in them for greater decoration. Under these are the
stalls for the canons, &c. beginning with the dean's
stall on the right, and the precentor's on the left hand,
each stall being assigned to a particular dignitary by
a written label over it. The four seats next tlie pul-
pit are now possessed by the four archdeacons of the
diocese, though formerly the lord-mayor and aldermen
sat on that side; the rest of the seats, for vicars and
choristers, are as usual in other cathedrals. The
228 WEST niDING OF YORKSHIRE.
The eagle of hrass, from which the lessons are read,
was the j;ift of Thomas Cracraft, D. D.
The ascent from the body of the church, through
the choir to the altar, is by a gradation of fifteen
steps. The altar received a considerable improve-
ment, as to its situation, in the year 1726, and the
nhole church in its beauty, by taking atvay a large
wooden screen, which almost obstructed the view of
the east window.
The most remarkable Chapels were three at the
east end of the church; that of St. Stephens to the
north, AU-Siiints to the south, and betwixt them was
the famous chapel of »S^. Mart/, made by Archbishop
Thoresby; which last, says Stubbs, that prelate, as a
true respecter of the Virgin Mother of God, adorned
with wonderful sculpture and painting. At the Refor-
ruation this chapel, without any regard to the founder
of this part of the cathedral, was torn in pieces and
destroyed. Our northern antiquary, the late Mr. Tho-
resby, got a large piece of the carved work, which he
says was preserved by somebody in a neighbouring
liouse to the church, being inclosed betwixt two walls.
This had a place in his Museum as a great curiosity,
both in regard of the excellence of the sculpture, and
the respect he paid to the memory of the Archbishop
his ancestor. His regret for the destruction of this
curious chapel makes him break out with the psahnist:
" A man was famous according as he had lifted np
his axes upon the thick trees; but now they break
down the carved work thereof with axes and hammers."
The dimensions of this magnificent cathedral are as
follow :
Feet.
Length from east to west, • • 524^
Breadth of the east end, 105
Breadth of the west end, 109
Length of the cross aisles from north to } ^^^
south, 5
TOPOGr.APIIICAL DESCRiniON. 229
Ftet.
Height of the two western towers or stee- ) ,_.,
pies, 5^^^
Height of the nave, 99
Height of the lantern tower or steeple, • • 235
Besides the Cathedral, York contains twenty-one
parish churches within the walls, and three in the
suburbs; but only a small number of these are worthy
of notice, viz. The church of All Sainis, St. Mary's
in Casilegate, All Hallows on the Pavement, St.
Dennis on the south of Walmgate, and that of St.
Margaret, on the north side, the latter for its singular
porch, curiously adorned with tl:e signs of the Zodiac,
and a variety of other liieroglyphirs.
But among all the religious edifices in the city and
suburbs of York, the ruined Abbey of St. Mary, next
to the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, merits the
greatest attention. It was situated just without
Bootham Bar, upon an area three quarters of a mile
in circuit. This abbey, totally destroyed by fire in the
reign of King Stephen, was begun to be rebuilt in
1270, under the direction of Simon de Warwick, and
this is the identical fabric of which we see the remains
at this day.
The Abbot here was mitred, and had a seat in
parliament: his retinue was little inferior to that of
the Archbishop; and when the barons of Yorkshire
were summoned to the wars, he sent a man to bear
the standard of St. IMary, in the King's army.
Of this once magnificent structure, there is now
left standing only a small part of the ;Vbbey Church,
or cloisters, 371 feet in length, and sixty in breadth.
Some spacious stone vaults also remain : in a word,
this venerable monument of ancient times
" Looks great in ruin, noble in decay."
At present, the greatest part of the large enclosure
is a pasture, and garden-ground ; but such pans as
are tenantable, are let to diilerent persons; and some
of the principal apartments are occupied as a board-
i:vg-5chool for ladies.
230 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
The CuAPTEE-UousE is a fine specimen of Gothic
architecture. I'here is some difficulty in ascertainint;
the time of erecting this magnificent structure, the
remaining records of the church bearing no account
thereof. Stubbs, who is particular enough in his
memoirs of the rest of the buildings, entirely omits this.
By the style of the architecture, it appears to be as
ancient as any part of the church, and exactly corres-
ponds with that part of the fabric begun and finished
by Walter Grey. And, indeed, if we may be allowed
to guess at the founder, that eminent prelate stands
the fairest of any, in the succession for it.
The pillars which surround the dome are of the
same kind of marble as those which support his tomb.
But what seems to put the matter out of dispute, is
the picture of an archbishop^ betwixt those of a king
and a queen, o\er the entrance, which, by having a
serpent under his feet, into the mouth of which his
crozier enters, exactly corresponds with the like re-
presentation of Walter Grey on his monument.
The whole pile is an octagon of sixty-three feet
diameter; the height of it, to the middle knot of
the roof, is sixty-seven feet, ten inches, unsupported
by any pillar, and entirely dependent upon one pin,
or plug, geometrically placed in the centre. The
outside, however, is strongly supported by eight but-
tresses. The whole roof has been richly painted with
the effigies of kings, bishops, &c. and large silver
knots of carved wood, at the unitmg of the timbers,
all which are much defaced and sullied by time. Over
this is a spire of timber work, covered with lead, ex-
cellent in its kind.
The entrance from the church to this noble room
is in the form of a mason's square. Against the pil-
lar, betwixt the two doors, stands an image of stone
of the Virgin, with our Saviour in her arms, trampling
on the serpent. The image, with the drapery, is
somewhat elegant, and has been all richly gilt, but it
bears a mark of those times which made even stone
statues feel their mahce. At your entrance into the
TOPOGRAPIIICAL DESCUIPTION. 231
house the first things you observe are the canons'
seats, placed quite round the dome, which are all
arched over, every arch being supported by small
marble pillars, which are set at a due distance round,
and separate the stalls. Over these arches, which
are built like canopies, runs a gallery about the
house, but so exquisitely carved, and has been so
richly gilt and painted, as to be above description.
The chapters of capitals of the aforesaid small pillars
have such a variety of carved fancies upon them,
alluding in some places to the ridicule the regular
clergy were always fond of expressing against the
seculars; in others to history, with strange conceits
of the over-witty workmen of that age, that it is im-
possible to which stall to give the preference. Here
you have antic postures both of men and beasts in
abundance ; over one is a man cut out halfway, as if
he was thrusting and striving . to get through a win-
dow or some narrow passage. On others are faces
with different aspects, some crying, some laughing,
some distorted and grinning; but above all, and
what is never omitted to be shewn to strangers by
the vergers, is the figure of an old bald-pated friar,
hugging and kissing a young nun, very amorously,
in a corner; and round the capitals of the adjoining
pillars are several faces of other nuns, as well old as
young, peeping, laughing, and sneering, at the wan-
ton dalliance of the old letcher. In other places
you have a friar shoeing a goose, greasing a fat sow
in the , &c.
The eight squares of the octagon^ have each a
noble light window in them, adorned with coats of
arms, pennances, and other devices, except one square,
which is joined to the other building over the en-
trance; and this has been painted with the representa-
tions of saints, kings, bishops, &:c. The three figures
in the midst we take to be Archbishop Walter Grey,
standing between Henry IH. and his queen. At the
base of this square were placed the images of the
twelve Apostles, with that of the Virgin, and the child
X 2
232 WEST RIDING or YORKSHIRE.
Jesus, in the midst of them. Tradition assures us,
that these images were all solid silver, double gilt.
The Apostles were about a foot high, but that of the
Virgin must have been near two feet, as appears by
the marks where they stood. These were morsels too
precious to miss swallowing at the first depredations
jnade into churches, and since they are not put into
the catalogue printed in the Monasticon, of the riches
of this church, which were taken in Edward Sixth's
time, we may readily suppose his father Henry had
the honour of this piece of plunder, or else that Arch-
bishop Holgate made him a present of them, along
with the manors that prelate thought fit to give him
from this see.
To enter upon a description of the imagery, in
painted glass, which is still preserved in the windows
of this place, and the rest of the church, would be
endless; but the arms of the nobility and gentry of
England, who were contributors, originally, to the
charge of erecting this, and other parts of the church,
are worth preserving; especially since fine glass is of
so frail a substance, that it is almost a miracle so
many coats are up at the windows at this day.
However, we must not omit an encomium bestowed
upon it by a great traveller, in old Monkish verse, in-
scribed on the wall in Saxon letters, as follows :
Ut Rosa Flos Florum, Sic Est Domus
ista domorum.
(The Chief of Houses, as the Rose of Flowers.)
In the square passage to the chapter-house from
the church, remarkable for its beautiful windows of
painted glass, have been also many coats of arms
delineated on the wall in their proper colours, but
very few of them can now be made out. Here
have been several sepultures, but the grave-stones,
one excepted, are all robbed of their inscriptions on
brass.
On the north side of the church also, and near the
Archiepiscopal palace, stood formerly the chapel of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 233
St, Sepulchre, which has a door still remaining, oj)eu-
ing into the north aisle of the nave.
The visitor arriving at the new library, situated on
the north side of the cathedral, behind the chapter-
house, cannot fail of being impressed with the effects
of literary genius and industry, and here
" Hold converse with the great of ev'ry time,
The learn'd of every class, the good of every clime."
This building, formerly annexed as a chapel to the
archbishop's palace, which was totally destroyed some
centuries since, is allowed to be much more commo-
dious than the old one was on the south side of the
cathedral. It had been many years used as a stable
and hayloft, till the complete restoration of it to its
exact primitive state in the English pointed style of
architecture was effected in 1806. The west window
of stained glass has in the centre a shield with the
arms of the Duke of Clarence, who visited the cathe-
dral that year. The side windows are all of ground
glass, for the purpose of repelling too great a glare of
light. For the convenience of taking down the
volumes from the higher shelves, a neat oak gallery is
supported by light iron bars. A large portion of the
books here were the gift of Mrs. Matthews, the relict
of Toby Matthews, archbishop, whose son, Sir Toby,
having been disinherited by his father, was probably
the reason that the mother bestowed her husband's
books, to the number of 3000 volumes, on the church.
The books are chiefly remarkable for several valuable
tracts in divinity and history; some manuscripts,
amongst which is a Tulk/de Inventione ad Herrenium,
very perfect, and in a most neat cliaracter. Bibles
and psalters; ti.e original register of St. Mary's abbey
at York, &;c. Bui the manuscripts that are almost
inestimable, especially, are Mr. Torre's painful col-
lections, from the original records of all the eccle-
siastical affairs relating to this church and diocese.
And the fine collection of the Rev. Mr. Marmaduke
Fothergill was likewise added to this library ; so that
X 3
j34 WEST RIDING OF YOKKSHirvE.
It now contains a body of manuscripts, especially in
the English ritual and liturgical way, equal to most
libraries in the kingdom.
The vestry joins to the south side of the church; it
has a council room and treasury contiguous to it. In
this last were kept all the rents, revenues, grants, and
charters, with the common seal belonging to the
church ; and had a particular officer to inspect and
take care of them. In the large inventory of the
riches belonging to this cathedral, taken in Edward
the Sixth's time, is an account of the money then in
St. Peter's chest; which was soon after seized upon,
iind the treasurer's office dissolved ; for a very good
reason says Mr. Willis, nam,
Abrepto omjii Thesauro, desiit Thesaurarii Munus.
(When all the treasure was swept away, the office of
Treasurer ceased of course).
The council room, or inner vestry, where his grace
of York robes himself when he comes to his cathedral,
is a convenient place, rendered warm and commodious
for the clergy to adjourn to from the chapter-house in
cold weather. In it is a large press, where are kept
those acts and registers of the church, which they
want more inunediately to consult on these occasions.
In the wall of the south corner of the vestry room
is a well of excellent water, called St. Feter^s Well.
Opposite is a great chest, of a triangular figure,
strongly bound about with iron bars ; which by its
shape, must have once served to lay up the vestments
of the copes and priests. Along the north are several
large cupboards in the wall, in which formerly were
locked up the church plate, and other valuable things;
but at present they are only enriched with the follow-
ing curiosities : a canopy of state of gold tissue, and
two small coronets of silver gilt, which were given by
the city for the honour of King James I. at his coming
out of Scotland to this place in his progress to London.
A cope of plain white satin, the only one left us out of
the large inventory of the ornaments of this church;
and the famous horn; if we may so call it, made of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 233
an elephant's tooth, which is indeed the greatest piece
of antiquity the church can exhibit.
This horn Mr. Camden particularly mentions as a
mark of a strange way of endowment formerly used ;
and from an old book, as he terms it, gives us this
quotation about it : " Ulphus, the son of Toraldus,
governed in the west parts of Deira, and by reason of
a difference like to happen betwixt his eldest son and
his youngest, about his lordships, when he was dead,
presently took this course to make them equal ; with-
out delay he went to York, and taking the horn,
wherein he was wont to drink, with him, he filled it
with wine, and kneeling upon his knees before the
altar, bestowed upon God and the blessed St. Feter,
all his lands, tenements, &c."
In ancient times there are several instances of
estates that were passed without any writings at all,
by the lord's delivery of such pledges as these, a
sword, a helmet, a horn, a cup, a bow, or arrow;
nudo verho, absque scripto vel charta, tantum cum
Domini gladio, re/ galea, vel cornu, (merely by word
of mouth, without any writing or paper, only by the
lord's delivery of a sword, helmet, or horn), are the
express words of Ingulphus.
The church of York ought to pay a high veneration
to this horn ; several lands belonging to it being still
called de Terra TJlphi; and before the Reformatipn it
was handsomely adorned with gold, and was pendant
in a chain of the same metal. These ornaments were
the occasion of its being taken away at that time; for
it is plain by Mr. Camden's words, that the horn was
not there in his days : " I was informed, says he, that
this great curiosity was kept in the church till the last
age." We are not therefore to blame the Civil Wars
for this piece of pillage ; for a principal actor in them,
Thomas Lord Fairfax, was the occasion of its being
preserved and restored to the church. Where it had
lain, or where he got it, is uncertain ; but, stripped of
its golden ornaments, it was returned by Henry Lord
Fairfax, his successor. The chapter thought fit to
236 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
decorate it anew, and to bestow the following inscrip-
tion to the memory of the restorer upon it.
" Corno Hoc, Ulphus, inoccidentali parte Deirae
Princeps, vna com omnibvs terris et redditibvs
svis olim donavit. Amissvra vel abreptum Hen-
ricvs dom. Fairfax demum restitvit. Dec. et capit.
de novo ornavit A. D. MDCLXXV.
(This horn, Ulphus, Prince of the western parts of
Deira, originally gave to the church of St. Peter's,
York, together with all the lands and revenues. Henry
Lord Fairfax, at last restored it, after it had been
lost, or conveyed away. The dean and chapter de-
corated it anew, A. D. 1675.)
There is also a large, rich, and superb pastoral staff
of silver, about seven feet in length, with a Virgin and
a young Saviour in her arms, placed within the bend
of it ; under which on one side, are engraven the arms
vfKaiherine of Portugal, Queen-Dowager o( England,
who gave the staff to one Smith, her confessor, nomi-
nated to be the popish Archbishop of York by King
James 11. in the year 1687. On the other side are
the Smith's family coat of arms, with a mitre and
crosier, and a cardinal's cap over them ; so confident
was this man in his expectation of being raised to
that dignity : which, however, he was so far from at-
taining, that within a little time this magnificent
ensign of his pastoral office was wrested from him by
a party headed by the Earl of Danby, afterwards Duke
of Leeds, M-hen he was marching in a solemn proces-
sion from the public Romish chapel in the manor,
near' St. Mary's abbey, to the cathedral of York;
where his influence at that time had so far prevailed,
as to have the great west doors opened to receive him.
This staff was afterwards deposited in the hands of
the dean and chapter.
On the south side of the vestry hang up against the
wall, two ancient tables, vt-hich are little taken notice
of. The one contains a catalogue of the miracles
ascribed to the virtues of our St. William, 23 years
after his death, and are 39 in number. The other is
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCIlIPIIoN- 237
a copy of an indulgence granted by Pope Nichohis,
mentioned in tlie lite of that prolate, with other ab-
stracts relating to this church.
Here is also an antique chair in which several kings
of England have been crowned, and of which the
archbishop also makes use, within the rails of the
altar at ordinations. On the furniture cloths of the
vestry arc the arms of Scrope, Lord IMasham, Booth,
and Kemp.
The Archbishop's Palace. — There were several
palaces formerly belonging to the see of York, of
which that at Bishopsthorpe is now the only Archie-
piscopal residence in its possession. It is a very
handsome edifice, on the banks of the Ouse, about
three miles south-east of the city. Smce built by
Archbishop Walter Grey, it has undergone many im-
provements. The principal front and vestibule, which
are ascended to by a flight of stone steps, exhibit the
old English pointed style of architecture, and have a
beautiful appearance. The same order is observed
in the gateway and })orter's lodge. The chief apart-
ments are decorated with elegant furniture, large
bronze busts, portraits, &c. of his late Majesty, the
Right Hon. William Pitt, and others. The great
dining-room, overlooking the river, has a ceiling exe-
cuted in ancient fret-work. Adjoining is the chapel,
the windows of which are glazed with coloured glass
executed by the late Mr. Peckitt. The altar window
at the east end measures 75 feet square, and contains
the arms of the different archbishops from the Re-
formation to the Revolution, properly quartered with
those of the see. The floor is composed of white and
black marble in chequered squares, and the pulpit
exliibits a curious specimen of ancient wood carving.
In the pleasure-grounds contiguous to the palace,
the lime-tree walk is particularly admired for its
exuberant foliage, whilst the trees intermixing over
head, resemble the long vista of a cathedral.
Frequent summer parties are formetl for visiting
Bishopsthorpe by water in boats, fi'om New-walk and
233 WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
Lendall-ferries. Tlie palace, pleasure-groumls, &c.
may be seen by application to the housekeeper and
chief gardener.
The MANsioN-HousEisan elegant building, erected
in 1725; the front has a rustic basement supporting
pillars of the Ionic order, with a pediment bearing the
city arms. The interior is furnished with rich plate,
furniture, &c. for the use of each mayor. Several
excellent pictures adorn the state-room, and among
them an elegant whole length portrait of his present
Majesty then Prince of Wales, painted by Hoppner.
The Guildhall is situated behind the Mansion-
house, and is thought to be one of the finest Gothic
halls in the kingdom, being built in 1446. It is 9&
feet in length by 43 ; the roof is fancifully ornamented
with several grotesque figures and heads, with the
Royal Arms as used by Henry V., and the roof is
supported by ten octagon pillars of oak placed on
stone bases. At the end of the hall are the law
courts, with rooms for the grand and petit juries. In
one of these, called the inner room, is placed the
musquetry of the city, for equipping four companies
of seventy men each. The windows contain some fine
specimens of the art of painting upon glass. One of
these, representing Justice in a Triumphal Car, was
put up in 1754, being a gift from the artist, Mr.
Peckitt, to the corporation. Adjoining the Guildhall
a new council chamber has been lately erected, which
consists of two distinct apartments; one being for
the lord mayor, the recorder, city council, sheriffs,
&c. and the other for the common council.
The Basilica, or County-Hall, stands on the
west side of an area, and was erected in 1777. It is
of the Ionic order, in length 150 feet and 45 in breadth.
In the south end is the court for the trial of prisoners,
and at the north end, that of NisiPrius. Each of these
is 30 feet diameter, covered with a dome 40 feet in
lieight, elegantly decorated and supported by twelve
Corinthian columns. In the room appropriated for
the grand jury is a manuscript list of tiie names of all
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCIUPTIOK. 239
the Ili^h Shcrifls for the county, in succession from
William the Conqueror to the present time. Nearly
behind this room the new drop, or place of execu-
tion, is situated. The entrance to the hall is by
a portico of six columns, 30 feet high, over whicli
are the royal arms and an elegant full length figure of
Justice.
An opposite building on the east was erected in
1780, in order to remedy many defects in the old
gaol. Here are apartments lor the clerk of the as-
size, and the county records. There are distinct hos-
pital rooms for men and women; and since the year
1803, thirty cells, two bath-rooms, seven day rooms,
and an indictment office, have been added, besides
three additional spacious fiagged court-yards, with a
walk for the sick upon the top of the south-east wintc,
secured by iron railing. The front, 150 feet in, ex-
tent, is adorned with an elegant colonnade, similar
to the court of justice, and many other improvements
have been made.
The new City Gaol, was erected on an extensive
scale, and begun in 1802 under tlie direction of Mr.
Peter Atkinson, architect, and completed in 1807.
It adjoins the Old Baile, and is surrounded by a high
brick wall; and having a vane and cupola at the top,
is a conspicuous object in various parts of the environs.
The edifice is entirely of stone, and in its front is a
large court-yard, where the debtors have the liberty of
walking. They ascend to their apartments by a large
flight of steps, with iron railing. The cells for men
and women felons, are on the ground floor, as is like-
wise the day-room. In each of the sleeping rooms
are recesses for coals, &c. The gallery here is 170
feet long; and the governor's residence is in the cen-
tre of the building, and has a large airy room used as
a cbnpel.
The prison is well supplied with water, and by
means of proper drainage is rendered extremely clean
and healthful.
When any criminals are executed, a temporary
•240 V.EST RIDIXO OF YORKSUIKE.
phitforrn is erected behind the prison wall on the west
side, facing the Old Baile.
The new House of Coruectiok is upon Toft-green,
under the walls, near Micklegate Bar. This building
was completely finished in 1314, and is much more
appropriate and convenient than the old House of
Correction upon Peaseholme- green. The expence
was defrayed by a joint assessment upon the city and
ainsty.
The TarATUE Royal is at the upper end of Blake-
street, erected in 1769. Tijc late Tate Wilkinson,
esq. proctued a patent for it. It is fitted up in a neat
uniform style, capable of containing a numerous au-
dience. Several judicious alterations have lately taken
place in the interior, and the house is lighted up with
"ax candles placed in glass chandeliers of a novel form,
which prevents the \\ix\ from ruiining and dropping
upon persons in the pit. The company perform at York
from February till the beginning of May, and during
the assize and race weeks. The admission to the
lower boxes is 4.S., to the upper 3s., pit 2s. 6d., gal-
leries Is. and Is. Crf.
The Assembly Rooms. — The extensive building in
Blake-street was erected in 1730, and was designed
by the celebrated Lord Burlington. The vestibule is
32 feet long, 21 broad, and 21 high; and the grand
Assembly-room is an antique Egyptian-hall, from a.
design of the celebrated Palladio, 112 feet in lengtb,
40 in breadth, and 40 in height. Tiiis room consists
of two orders, the Corinthian and the composite.
The windows and decorations are superb; the princi-
pal lustre was the gift of Lord Burlington, The ceil-
ing of the smaller Assembly-room used in common,
is adorned with curious fret-work from the antique.
There are five subscription concerts during the win-
ter season. In the spring assize week the rooms are
open for a concert and ball, on the Wednesday and
Friday evenings; at the races, are balls only.
York Subscription Library, erected in 1811, is
nearly opposite the Post-office in St. Ilelen's-square.
TOrOGRAPillCAL LESCRiPTIUIC. 24 i
it was first instituted in 1791. The niciibers exceed
oOO, and the terms of the aniuiai suhscriptiou is one
pound six shilhngs, paid half yearly in advance, and
for admission five guineas. The members are admit-
ted by ballot; the bucks, amotinting to near 7000
in number, are the joint property of the subscribers.
The ground floor being occupied as a nev s-roou), the
London newspapers are regularly taken in, with the
best maps, &c.
The County Hospital, or Public Infinnary, is a
spacious building beyond Monk-bar. The front ex-'
tends 7o feet in length, and it is 90 in depth, and en-
closes a small court. Here is a Public Medical Li-
brary established in J 810, for the improvement and
diffusion of medical knowledge. This excellent cha-
rity is dependent upon the benevolence of the public
for its support.
The City Dispensary, in St. Andrew-gate, for
administering relief to the diseased poor, is also sup-
ported by voluntary subscription. This was set on
foot in 1788, by gentlemen of the faculty resident in
York. Here are also extensive national and charity
schools, Sunday schools, spinning schools, &c. &:c.
with a saving bank established in 1816, where inte-
rest is paid at the rate of four per cent.
The Lunatic Asylum is situated without Boo-
tham-bar, and was first established in the year 1777,
by general subscription. Its front extends 132 feet in
length; its depth is 52 feet, and it consists of three
stories in height. The ends of the front are finished
as pavilions, and have a projection equal to that of the
central columns. Over the centre of the building
rises a cylindrical bell tower, surrounded with small
columns, and finished with a cupola and vane at the
top. In 1817 a new building was erected behind the
front, intended for females only. It is two stories
high, and every room throughout is arched, and ren-
dered completely fire-proof. A room is also used as
a chapel, and spacious gardens and airing grounds
surround the buildings. Patients are admitted on pay-
y
242 WEST RIDIMG OF YORKSHIRE.
ing a weekly sum for their maintenance. The ex-
pences being moderate, render this foundation advan-
tageous to persons of slender means. Dr. Wake is
the attending physician, and was elected to that office
in 1815.
The Retreat, is another institution for the use of
the same class of patients, belonging to the society of
Quakers or Friends. It was opened in 1796; the
building consists of a centre and four wings, with the
addition of a new erection behind, called The Lodge,
connected with the main building by a long passage
or gallery. It is situated nearly a mile from the city,
on the road to Heslington, upon an eminence which
commands an extensive and beautiful prospect in all
directions. The medical department is under a phy-
sician of York, chosen by a monthly committee. This
institution embraces all classes of patients, who pay
according to their ability, though neither the physi-
cians nor the internal managers receive any fees, all
of them having annual fixed salaries. Mr. Samuel
Tuke has published a very interesting memoir and de-
scription of " The Retreat," with plans and view.
The York Emmanuel was instituted for the re-
lief of mental derangement, blindness, or idiotcy in
ministers, their wives, widows, or children. This was
established in 1782.
About this time, by the exertions of Mrs. Cappe and
Mrs. Gray, a spinning school was established. Spin-
ning, however, is no longer attended to, the children
being at present chiefly employed in sewing or knit-
ting. They are also taught to read, are provided
with Sunday clothes, and presented with every requi-
site in dress, on their leaving the school.
Connected with the Spinning School, and also with
the Greycoat School, is the York Friendly Female
Society. This was established in 1788, as a relief in
case of sickness, for those especially who are educated
in the two first-mentioned schools. General members
paying half-a-crown upon admission, and one shilling
per quarter the first two years, and eighteen-pence
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 243
afterwards, are entitled to three shillings a week, six,
and even ten, to married members on the birth oteach
child. A private fund also provides child-bed linen.
In 1800 the ladies commenced an annuity fund for
raising forty shillings a year for life, to be paid such
members as have attained the age of 53, or have been
the longest in the society.
The York Female Benefit Club, may be classed
with those friendly societies common to all large towns
and cities.
A Lying-In Society was instituted in November
18 ly, in aid of the more virtuous parts of humble
society, which, besides paying a midwife, lends linen
for a month, or pays for medical assistance if neces-
sary.
The York Charitable Society was estabhshed
in 1788, with a design to lessen the number of vagrant
poor, and promote the object of Sunday schools
among the lower classes. The whole number of chil-
dren educated in these seminaries is nearly eight hun-
dred.
The York Benevolent Society has for its object
to search out the sons and daughters of suffering, to
visit them in their affliction with temporal aid, acting
on the broad basis of human wretchedness.
The Society for the Prevention and Discouragement
of Vice and Profaneness, directs its principal exertions
to the prevention of lewdness, drunkenness, profane
swearing, and Sabbath breaking.
Dr. Colton's Hospital consists of a row of lov^
brick buildings in a back yard, established in 1717,
for the occupation of eight poor women. The in-
mates, by the improvement of the estate, have lately
received about four pounds per month among them.
The York Humane Society is an establishment on
the plan of tliat in London, with receiving-houses,
drags, &c.
Mr. John Allen's Society, is an Institution of mo-
dern date, for the benefit of a certain number of poor
old men, who each receive half-yearly about six
y 2
'H'i WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
pounds. Any ot" these pensioners dying, others, who
are thougiit pruper objects, are appointed by the
trustees.
Walter's Hospital allo%vs small pensions and
some cottages for the residence ot" about ten persons.
Sir William Walter was twice Lord Mayor of York,
previous to the year 16 V2.
Lady Cony n ham's Charities consist of annuities
of about 20/. a piece to poor clergymen's widows;
and also to ten poor clercrymen, who shall respectively
be in possession of only one living under the yearly
value of lOOl. within the county of York. — Animities
are likewise allowed to six poor women, or unmarried
women residing in York, being 50 years of age and
upwards, not respectively possessed of the sum of 50/.
Haughtgn's Charity-school is near the church
of St. Crux; here 50 poor children are taught to read
and write English, and the schoolmaster receives a
salary. Mr. Haughton also left large sums of money
to the several charities in York.
. Winterskelf's Hospital is nearly opposite to St.
INIargaret's church. Here six inhabitants, besides
lodging, receive from seven to eight pounds per annum.
The places of worship in York are various; the
beautiful Roman Catholic chapel is in Little Blake-
street, and is much admired for its architecture and
decorations. A smaller chapel at the Nunnery, has
its walls ornamented with designs from scripture.
Here several nuns attend, and occasionally accom-
pany the oi^an, and the vocal music is thought parti-
cularly fine.
Methodist chapels are to be found in New-street
and Albion-street; the first was opened in January,
1805, and the latter in October, 1816. The Quakers',
or Friends' meeting-house, is at the entrance of Far-
Water-lane, in Castlegate. Here an ingenious me-
thod for conveying warm air into the building in cold
weather, and a supply of cold in summer, is made use
of by a flue of curious contruction.
Thf Presbyterian chapel is in St. Saviour gate, and
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOX. 245
was erected in 1692, cliiefly by the liberal aid of Lady
SaralY Hevvley. It is built in the form of a cross, with
an elevation in the centre^ and has a burial-ground
attached to it. This has an organ and a singing-gal-
lery, and is well aired with stoves.
The Independents' chapel is situated in Lendal, and
was built in 1814. It is an elegant, spacious, and
lofty structure, and is supposed to have cost more
thaii 3000/.
Among the promenades, the first certainly is New
Walk, a fiiie gravelled terrace, made in 1733, and
extending near a mile in length along the banks of
the Ouse. It has a long avenue of lofty elms, and in
fine weather is usually resorted to by numerous groupes
of gay and well-dressed pedestrians, whilst other par-
ties in pleasure-boats, are sailing upon the river. A
band of music from the neighbouring barracks are also
frequently in attendance, and garden chairs are placed
at convenient distances. A public bath has also been
built adjoining the spring-well, commonly called " Tlie
Lady Well," about the middle of the avenue.
The cavalry barracks, a small distance from york,
on the Fulford road, were erected in 1796, at the ex-
pence of 25,000/. These handsome buildings stand in
an area of an oblong square, occupying 12 acres of
ground from wall to wall, and purchased at the rate of
150 guineas per acre. The centre building for the
officers, is a neat structure, with the royal arms finely
executed at Coade's artificial stone manufactory.
The race-ground is about a mile south of the city,
commonly called Knavesmire, and is a large plain,
or dead flat. The grand stand here is the principal
ol/ject. On the ground floor are convenient offices
and rooms for the entertainment of company ; above,
on the second floor, is a handsome commodious room
for the nobility and gentry to assemble in, v, ith a ba-
lustrade projection, the front 90 feet in length, and
supported by a rustic arcade of 15 feet high, com-
manding a fine prospect. The top of the roof of this
room is leaded, and has accommodations for viewing
Y 3
246 WEST HIDING OF YORKSHIRE.
the races. The goal is a stone rotunda near tlie stand,
for the convenience of those persons who decide the
order in which the horses pass. The annual meetings
are in May and August, and non-subscribers are ad-
mitted upon the stand during each meeting, upon the
payment of one guinea.
The white-lead works belonging to Messrs. Liddell
and Co. have been carried on very successfully since
the year 1794. A preparation of red lead is also car-
ried on at this manufactory, which is situated near the
New Walk.
The flint-glass manufactory of Messrs. Prince and
Prest, is a little further on, close by the river Foss. It
was first established in 1797, and will aftbrd ample
gratification to the visitor who may wish to examine
its particular process.
The market-places, of which there are two, (the
Pavement, and Thursday-market), are spacious, and
in every respect convenient. In that part of the city
called the Pavement, is kept a daily market for vege-
tables, &c. 'i'he Cross is a square with a dome as-
cended into by winding stairs, and supported by twelve
pillars of the Ionic order. It was erected in 1672, by
Marmaduke Rawdon, a merchant in London, but a
native of York. The other is used on a Saturday as
shambles, to the west side the butchers have free re-
sort. On the west side of the market-place stands a
cross, built in 1705, for the shelter of the market
people in bad weather. It is a plain but elegant
structure.
The Ainsty of the city of York, is a small district
extending westward from York ; which forms a dis-
tinct jurisdiction, and cannot be included in any of
the ridings. It is bounded by the river Ouse on the
north-east, the river Wharfe on the south-west, and
the river Nid on the north-east. The situation of the
Ainsty is equally as ad\antageous as any in the East
Riding for sending its produce to the different markets
by the rivers Ouse and Wharfe; a great part of the
produce is carried to the populous city of York, con-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 247
veiiiently situated for that purpose ; a considerable
quantity of corn is also sent to the \Vest Riding,
which hes more convenient for that purpose than the
east; the price of corn and other produce is therefore
higlier here than in the East Riding.
The country is generally fiat, with some gentle
swells. The quantity of wood is considerable, and
tiie whole Ainsty, generally considered, is fertile, and
the climate mild. Within this jurisdiction are thirty-
four villages and hamlets, besides one half of the
market-town of Tadcaster, the middle of Tadcaster-
bridge being the boundary between the Ainsty and
the West Riding. The farms here are small; and
they breed some good horses, but not many cattle,
and neither here nor at York are there any manu-
factures of much note, gloves excepted.
The municipal government of the city of York is
vested in a Lord Mayor, a Recorder, two City Coun-
cil, twelve Aldermen, two Sheriffs, twenty-four As-
sistants, called the council of twenty-four ; seventy-
two Common-councilmen, and six Chamberlains.
The Mayor assumes the title of Lord in all writing or
speaking to him; this honour was conferred by
Richard II.
There is also a City Steward, Town-Clerk, Sword-
bearer, four Attornies of the Sheriff's Court, and a
number of inferior officers. The office of Lord-Mayor
of York is a place of great honour and trust. He is
the King's Lieutenant in his absence, and does not
give place, or resign the ensigns of his authority to
any one but the king himself, or the presumptive heir
of the crown. On pubhc occasions he is habited in
scarlet, with a rich mantle of crimson silk and a massy
chain of gold.
^ The forest ofGaltres is a little to the north of the
city. It is in some places very thick of trees, and
others very moorish and boggy ; it formerly extended
to the very gates of the city, but is now much lessened,
and several considerable villages are built in it.
TOPOGHAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE
NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
The situation, boundaries, and extent of these
divisions of Yorkshire having been described in pages
74 and 86 of the volume, we now proceed to give a
detailed account of tlie principal places, according to
the routes laid down for each journey.
EASINGV/OLD
Is a small market-town, and from its inland situation,
without any navigable communication, has no great
trade, except in bacon and butter, of which consi-
derable quantities are sent to York, and forwarded
by water to London. The weekly market is on Frklay.
The environs are flat, and not very fertile; the edge
of the moors to the east, with the remains of Creyke
castle, about three miles east, overlooking the country,
are the only objects that break the dull uniformity of
the scene. About five miles north, to the right, are
the ruins of Bi/land Abbey, situated in a rich valley.
Roger do Mowbray, at the instance of his mother
Gandreda, A. D. 1143, removed the coment of Cis-
tertian monks from Hode, to a part of her jointure
near the river liye, almost opposite to the abbey of
Rievall, since called Old Byland ; which place being
thought inconvenient for the liabitatlon of the reli-
gious, four years after they removed to Stocking, near
Coxwold ; and at last fixed a little more easterly near
Whitaker, where this abbey, dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, continued in a flourishing state until the dis-
solution, when its yearly revenues were valued at
238/. 9s. 4d. according to Dugdale. The abbey be-
Goming the property of Sir Martin Stapleton, he took
every means to preserve this interesting fragment of
antiquity from further dilapidation. The most pic-
turesque part of the ruins is the church, of which the
west end, with its curiously ornamented doorj now
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 249
remain ; and a part of the south transept, with a smafl
fragment of the south aisle.
CoxwoLD is one mile from Byland, where the
traveller may see Newburgh-hall, the sent of Thomas
Edward Winn Bellasyse, esq. of the honourable family
of the Lords Fauconberg.
TFIIRSK
Is an ancient borough town, by prescription, situated
on a small river, which divides the town into two
parts, usually denominated the Old and New Town,
and the communication between etfected by two
small but handsome bridges. That part called the
New Town, is in general well built, and stands mostly
on th^ ground which was once the site of a huge
castle, belonging to the ancient family of the Mow-
brays, and which was demolished in the reign of
Henry II.
The municipal government of the town is vested in
a baililf, who is chosen by the burgage holders, and is
sworn in by the steward of the lord of the manor, for
whom he holds a court-leet twice a year, at Lady-day
and Michaelmas.
The church is a handsome Gothic structure, dedi-
cated to St. Mary Magdalen, and supposed to have
been built out of the ruins of the castle. It is allowed
by travellers (both in external and internal structure),
to be a remarkably fine specimen of this style of
architecture. The living is rcctoral, including the
villages of Sowerljv, Carlton, and Sand Hutton, each
of which places have chapels of ease.
The manufactures of this place are inconsiderable,
consisting chiefly of coarse linens, white and black
liardings, sackings, bridles, and saddles. Tlie market
on Monday is plentifully supplied with all kinds of
provisions,' and sometimes with fish from the coast.
Much of the poultry, butter, &c. is bought up by per-
sons who carry it to Leeds and other places in the
West Riding. The many fairs also attract a consider-
able number of dealers in leather.
250 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
There is an academy of some note in this town, at
which there are seldom less than 150 scholars from
different parts of the kingdom. The society for the
education of clergymen's orphan children place all
their boys at this school. At Bagby, two miles south-
east from Thirsk, was an hospital for the sick and
poor, founded about the year 1200.
Besides the parish church, the Calvinists, the
Quakers, and Methodists have tlieir respective meet-
ings. The environs are fertile and pleasant.
The Roman road from the station at Aldby, on the
river Derwent, passed through Easingwold and this
town to North AUerton.
Thornton on the Street^ a small village, through
which we pass between Thirsk and North Allerton,
is supposed to be situated upon the old Roman road.
From Thirsk we shall make a deviation from the
direct line of our route, in order to visit North
Allerton.
In the church of Felix Kirk, four miles north-east
from Thirsk, there are some old monuments of knights
templars.
NORTH ALLERTON,
A genteel market-town, is pleasantly situated on the
river Wiske, consisting chiefly of one long street.
It is a very ancient town, and according to the opi-
nion of the learned antiquary Roger Gale, derives
is name from King Alfred, and was a station in the
time of the Romans.
In the year 1138, near this town, the Scots were
met by the English forces, commanded by William
Earl of Albemarle, accompanied by Walter D'Espee,
Roger Mowbray, Robert de Bruce, Bernard de
Baliol, Walter de Grant, and all the northern ba-
rons. In a sort of wh.eel carriage they had erected a
long pole, at the top of which was a cross, and under
this a banner, from whence the battle that ensued,
acquired the name of the Battle of the Standard.
Around this ensign the English were drawn up in a
firm compact body, the front being composed of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. Qol
pikemeu and archers intermixed, to receive the first
shock of the enemy. The Prince of Scotland ad-
vanced to the attack with such impetuosity, that he
bore down all before him, and even penetrated to
the rear of the English, who, terrified at his success,
began to fall into disorder, and gave v/ay, when their
total defeat was prevented by the stratagem of an
old soldier, who, cutting off a man's head, erected it
on the point of his spear, and calling aloud, " behold
the head of the Scotch king," rallied the troops, and
renewed the battle. Thie Scots, confounded at this
apparition, and dispirited by the flight of the Cale-
donians, fought no longer with alacrity, but began to
give ground in all quarters; nor could David the
Scots king, who fought on foot with undaunted
courage, bring them back to the charge, so that he
was obliged to mount on horseback and quit the field.
The fugitives seeing the royal banner still displayed,
were convinced of their king's being alive, and
crowded around him in such numbers that he was
able to form a considerable body, with wliich he re-
treated in good order to Carlisle, where he was, on
the third day after tlie battle, joined by his son.
In the year 1318, North Allerton was burned by
the Scots, who at one period during these wars, had
made so many English captives, that scarcely a
family in the south of Scotland was without an Eng-
lish slave.
The municipal government of the town is vested
in a bailiff, deputed and authorised by the Bishop of
Durham, for the time being. The bishop is lord of the
manor. The borough sends two members to parlia-
men. The right of voting is aimexed to the site of
the greater part of the houses adjoining to, and
forming the street; few or none of the back tenements
are considered as part of the burgage-tenures, or
consequently entitled to vote. Some of these tenures
now subsist in the form of stables or cow-houses, in
which the appearance of our common chimnies are
preserved as a memorial of their right ; others are
t52 .SOUTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
let to poor persons at a small annual rent, on con-
dition of their keeping them in repair; and many are
totally ruinous and uninhabited. The Bishop of
Durham's bailiff is returning officer.
The weekly market is held on Wediiesdays, and
there are four fairs, on the days inserted in our list.
The market-place is spacious, and surrounded with
good houses; the town is in genc;al well-built with
brick, and contains between two and three thousand
inhabitants. The village of Smeaton, on the great
north road, about seven miles distant, is remarkable
for the grandeur of its prospects; viz. the southern
parts of the county of Durham, Cleveland, and the
fine country along the banks of the Tees, towards
Richmond, with part of the Vale of York, in contrast
with the black frowning mountains of the eastern and
western moors, all in full view.
About a quarter of a mile west of North Allerton
are the Castle Hills, so called from the Castle which
formerly stood there, at which place are also to be
seen many Roman entrenchments. On the east side
of the town formerly stood a small monastery called
the Treres, built by Thomas Hatfield, secretary of
state to King Edward III. for white friars, aimo
1354.
Stockesley, sixteen miles north-east of Allerton,
is a small market and corporate town, situated near
the source of the river Tees, in the fertile tract called
Allertonshire, watered by the river Wiske. The
town consists of one well-built street, about half a
mile long.
The weekly market is on Saturdays.
The number of inhabitants is about 14,00.
About seven miles north-west from Stockesley is
the small market-town of Yarum, or Yarm, situated
on the right bank of the river Tees, over which is a
stone bridge, between the counties of York and Dur-
ham ; the river is navigable five miles above Yarm.
This town is incorporated, and was formerly a
much more flourishing place than it is at present ;
TOPOGUAPHICAL DEbCIlXPlKJN. 253
it, however, still carries on a pretty brisk trade, by
water, in lead, corn, and butter, to London. The
new bridge thrown over the river Wear, at Sun-
derland, has made Yarm a considerable thorough-
fare from Newcastle, Shields, and Sunderland, by
way of Castle Elder to Yarm, and from thence to
Thirsk, &:c.
The weekly market is held on Thursday; and there
are five fairs on the days mentioned in our list.
The October fair is one of the most considerable in
the north of England, and brings a great influx of
money into the town, and adjacent country. The
grounds in tiie parish being mostly laid down in grass,
the fertility of the fields, with the thriving quickset
fences and trees in the hedge-rows, give tiie country
a rich appearance. In the church, which is a hand-
some and modern-built structure, there is a beautiful
window of painted glass, by Peckitt, of York, above
the altar : it was presented by William Chalinor, Esq.
a native of this town.
The principal figure is a full length representation
of Moses delivering the Law, from Mount Sinai.
GuiSBOROUGU is a considerable market-town, situ-
ated about four miles from the mouth of the river
Tees, where there is a bay and harbour for ships.
There was formerly a priory here, which was the
common burial place of the nobility of these parts,
and its church, from the appearance of its ruins, must
have been equal to any in England.
Guisborough consists chiefly of one main street, very
broad, and many ofthe houses being built in a modern
style, the place has a neat and pleasing appearance.
The market is on Monday, and the fairs are well
attended. Guisborough is remarkable for being the
place where the first alum-works were erected in the
latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
The town contains about 1800 inhabitants, and is
a place of such antiquity, that Baxter supposes it to
have been the Urhs Calnrium of the Romans. It seems
to be a fact by no means creditable to modern im-
254 NOr.TH AND EAST RIDINGS.
provemeiits, that this part of the country, and pro-
bably many others, as it is expressed in the Cottonian
Manuscript, " hath been wonderfully inhabited more
than it is now; for witliin the length of a few miles
the lords following, have had their seates : at Kyldule
Castle, the Percy's, Earls of Northumberland; at
Aton, Nevil, of Westmorland; at Wharlton Castle,
the Lord Menell; at Skelton Castle, the Lord So-
raers; at Danby Castle, the Lord Latimer ; at Harl-
sey Castle, at Wilton Castle, Sir Ralf
-Bulmer; at Mulgrave Castle, Sir Ralf ; at
Ingleby, the Lord Eure. All these great personages
dwelt together in a small circuite, and in the midst
of them the Prior of Gysbrough, insomuch that the
town, consisting of 500 householders, had no land,
but lived all on the Abbey. But the Prior, it is added,
kept a most pompous house."
This Priory was founded, and most amph endow-
ed, by Robert de Bruss, A. D. 1129. In 1375,
Edward III. gave leave to the Prior and Canons, to
fortify and embattle their convent. Only one superb
arch remains of this once rich and magnificent build-
Redcar and Coatiiam are two villages in the
northern extremity of Yorkshire, about half a mile
distant from each other. The first, about eight miles
from Guisborough, contains about one hundred and
twenty-six houses; the latter about seventy. The
street in each of these villages is covered with drifted
sand, blown by the north-west wind from the shore;
but the roads are very good, and the air pure, in the
highest degree.
The prospect from Coatham is remarkably fine,
bounded from east to west by a range of hills, viz.
IIunclilTe Nab, Burley Moor, Yerby Bank, Esten
Nab, Barnby IMoor, and Hambleton Hills to the
Tees, about ten miles. The sea on the north, forms
the figure of a bow, the range of mountains being
considered as the string. The greatest breadth is
about five miles. Besides a sufficient number of ma-
TOPOGilAPillCAL DESCRIPTION. 255
chines for bathing at these places, there are also con-
veniences for warm bathing, at three shillings and
sixpence each bath. The gradual declivity of the
sands adapts them for the promenade, or the carri-
age; and there are many beautiful drives in the
Vale of Cleveland, surrounding Redcar, and upon
good roads, for several miles, without being impeded
by a turnpike.
Sea parties are also made here, for three or four
hours' pleasure upon the vv-ater; sometimes to dine or
drink tea at Seaton Inn, six miles distant. Sometimes
fifty trading vessels may be counted in sight at once.
The sands are about eight mile| long, and one broad;
and on this shore, near HunclifFe, the seals resort
in herds, to sleep and bask.
On a prominence nearest the shore, one of them
keeps watch like a centinel, and when any person
approaches, it rolls itself into the water, by vvay of
giving notice to the rest; and when pursued at ebb of
tide, they often endeavour to drive their pursuers
away, by throwing sand or pebbles at them, with
their hind feet.
At Kirkleatham, about three miles from Iledcar, is
the seat of the late Sir Charles Turner, bart., in a
rich and extensive vale; and near it is Turner's Hos-
pital, a large handsome building, enclosing three sides
of a square, the fourth being ornamented with elegant
iron gates and palisadoes; in the inner court, on a
pedestal, is a statue representing Justice, with a sword
and balance. This house was founded and endowed
by Sir William Turner, knt., in 1676, for the main-
tenance of forty poor persons, viz. twenty old men
and Avomen, and as many girls and boys. Skelton
Castle, about five miles from Redcar, the seat of
John Wharton, esq., was originally built by Robert
de Bruss, a Norman Baron, who accompanied
William the Conqueror to England. This nobleman,
from whom some of the kings of Scotland, and the
family of Bruce, Earls of Aylesbury, are descended,
was a person of such valour, that William Duke of
z Q
256 yORTH AND EAST illDINGS.
Normandy rewarded him with forty-three lordships in
the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire, and fifty-one
in the North Riding of that county.
Journey from Askrigg to Pierce Bridge, through
Richmond,
AsKUlGO, though a market-town, resembles a
village, scarcely cotitaining 800 inhabitants. Tiie
market is on Thursday. It is situated in the centre
of VVensley Dale, near the northern bank of the
Ure.
About half a mile from Askrigg is a water-fall,
called Millgill Force, which makes one grand vertical
fall of about twenty or thirty yards, and then rushes
down the rocky bed of the ravine. One mile further
is Whitfield's Force, a spectacle highly gratifying to
the lover of picturesque scenery; and about five
miles up the dale from the town is Hardrow Force,
a cascade, where the water falls, in one vast sheet,
from a ledge of rocks ninety-nine feet in perpendicular
height. The ravine or chasm, which extends below
the fall, is bounded on each side by huge masses of
rock, and is about three hundred yards in length.
Behind the fall is a deep recess, whence a good view
of it may be obtained with safety. During the hard
frost in the year 1740-41, a prodigious icicle is re-
corded to have been found here, of the whole height
of the fall, and nearly equal in circumference.
Four miles east from Askrigg, is Aysgarth, or
Attescane, a village situated on the river Ure.
Here are several water-falls, both above and below
the bridge; the v; hole range occupying nearly half a
mile.j This should be particularly remembered, other-
wise a stranger might miss the Force, w here the whole
body of the river, which is of considerable breadth,
pours down an irregular and broken ledge of rocks in
several places, in a fine ravine, surrounded by hills
covered with trees. Over the river is a bridge of one
arch, which rises thirty-two feet, and spans seventy-
one. The romantic situation of the handsome church
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. Qb7
ot Aysgarth, on an eminence, solitarily overlooking
those cataracts, the decency of the structure within
and without, its perfect retirement, the rural church-
yar4j the dying sounds of water, amidst woods and
rocks wildly intermixed, with the variety and magni-
tude of the surrounding hills, concur to render this
scene at once awful and picturesque in a very high
degree. The falls that are above the bridge are seen
on descending to it, but are viewed to greater advan-
tage on the return. They are then beheld througli a
spacious light arch, which presents the river at every
step, in a variety of forms. On the left is the steeple,
emerging from a copse. From the bridge the water
falls, near half a mile, upon a surface of stone, in
some places quite smooth, in others worn into great
cavities, and enclosed by bold and shrubbed cliffs; in
others it is interrupted by huge masses of rock, stand-
ing upright in the middle of the current. It is every
where changing its face, and exhibits some grand spe-
cimens before it comes to the chief descent, called
the Force. No words can do justice to the grandeur
of this scene, which was said by Dr. Pococke, to ex-
ceed that of the cataracts of the Nile. The bridge
has on it the date 1339, which is probably a stone of
the old bridge, the present one seeming of much later
date. This beautiful and romantic scene is thus de-
scribed by the author of* Wensley Dale."
" But now, O Aysgarth ! let my rugged verse
The wonders of thy cataracts rehearse;
Long ere the toiling sheets to view appear
They sound a prelude to the pausing ear.
Now in rough accents, by the pendent wood,
Rolls in stern majesty the foaming flood;
Revolving eddies now, with raging sway
To Aysgarth's ample arch incline their way.
Playful and slow the curling circles move,
As when soft breezes fan the waving grove;
Till prone again, with tumult's wildest roar
Recoil the billows, reels the giddv shore;
23
258 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
Dash'd from its rocky bed, the winnow'd spray
Remounts thje regions of the cloudy way,
While warring columns in fierce combats join,
And make the rich, rude, thund'ring scene divine."
Not far from hence are the ruins of Fors Abbey,
a monastery of Cistertian monks, brought from
Sevigny by Ararius, son of Bardulph, in the year
1145 : made subject to Byland, from whom an abbot
and monks were sent in the year 1150, who, a few
years after, were removed to Toreval.
At Bainbridge, a mile and a half south from
Askrigg, there are evident vestiges of a Roman sta-
tion ; and on a neighbouring hill are foundations of
an ancient fortification enclosing an area of nearly five
acres.
By the antique corn-mill at Cappagh, near Bain-
bridge, a pair of ancient mill-stones were discovered
in 1817. Tiiey vvere covered with the remains of a
strong leather hide, and measured in circumference
nine feet six inches, and twenty-four inches in depth.
Being put in motion, by Mr. William Paxton, they
run in the form of a dish, one within the other, and
work in a very superior manner.
About two miles from the village of Carperby, is
Bolton Castle, which, from its extensive remains,
appears to have been a place of considerable strength.
The plan of this castle is quadrangular, with a square
tower at each angle, and a small one in the centre of
the north and south sides; its greatest length is from
east to west. In the centre is an open court, which
gives light and air to the internal apartments. The
grand entrance was from the east end, and near the
southern tower; there were besides, three other en-
trances, one on the north, and two on the west side.
According to Grose, the walls are seven feet thick, and
ninety-six in height. It was lighted by several stages
of windows. The tower, on the south-west angle,
where the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots was
confined, in 1568, is now occupied by a farmer.
During the Civil Wars in the reign of Charles I.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRrPTION. 259
Bolton Castle was bravely defended by Colonel
Scrope, and a party of the Richmondshire militia,
for the king, and was at last surrendered upon honour-
able terras, upon the fifth of November, 1645. From
neglect, and the damage it received during the siege,
the tower on the north-east angle became so much
injured, that it fell to the ground on the evening of
the 19th of November, 1761.
Bolton is remarkable for being the birth-place of
Henry Jenkins, that astonishing and singular instance
of longevity. He was born in the year 1500, and died
at Allerton upon Swale, December 8th, 1670, aged
169 years, being just \6 years older than the famous
old Parr. He was brought up to the business of a
fisherman, an employment which he followed 140
years. After he was more than 100 years, he used to
swim across rivers, and was called upon as an evi-
dence to a fact of 140 years past. He was once but-
ler to Lord Conyers. When advanced to the vast age
of 160, he used to bind sheaves of corn for the far-
mers; and what is most astonishing, he preserved his
sight and hearing to the last. When examined as an
evidence, as above-mentioned, two or three other men
who attended at the same time, said that he was an
old man when they were boys, though they themselves
were upwards of 100 years old. Being born before
parish registers were kept, one of the judges asked
Jenkins what remarkable battle or other event hap-
pened within his memory. To which he answered,
that when the battle of Flodden was fought he was
turned of twelve years of age; '^e said he was sent to
take care of the horses belonging to Bolton, whicli
carried the bows and arrows to the Earl of Surry's
army at North Allerton: that they were sent on horse-
back on account of its then being harvest time. That
shortly after his return home, he heard that the Scots
had been defeated and their king slain. Being farther
questioned if he remembered the abbies, he said that
he was about 40 years of age when the Earl of Shrews-
bury received the order to dissolve those in Yorkshire;
260 KORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
that he saw the monks turned out of several convents,
and that the country vras all in an uproar. It is cu-
rious to consider what a multitude of events are
crowded into the period of this man's life. He was
born when the Catholic religion was established by
law; and he saw the papal supremacy thrown off:
the monasteries dissolved; popery in fashion again;
and the Protestant religion finally established. In his
time three queens were beheaded : Anne Boleyn, Ca-
therine Howard, and Mary Queen of Scots; and a
King of Spain resided here in quality of King of Eng-
land. In his time \.\\q Invincible Armada of Spain was
destroyed by the English; and the republic of Hol-
land formed. A king of Scotland was crow^ned at
Westminster, and his son and successor beheaded be-
fore his own palace; the royal family proscribed as
traitors, and again settled on the throne; and finally
the great fire of London in 1666.
About a mile and a half from Bolton Castle is Bol-
ton Hall. The house does not possess any attractive
properties, being plain and heavy; but the scenery
of the park and grounds is such as should not be missed
by the traveller of taste.
The hall was built by Cliarles Marquis of Winches-
ter, created Duke of Bolton by William III.
Wensley Dale is esteemed one of the richest in
Great Britain. It abounds with wood, and has a fine
river meandering through its fertile pastures. It is
stocked with vast herds of cattle, and in some parts it
produces lead ore.
We now cross the s^ver Swale, which, though not
of any considerable size, is noted for giving its name
to lands, through w hich it runs for some length, called
Swale Dale, and to an ancient family of that name,
the last of whom was Sir Solomon Swale, bart. who
described himself of Swale-hall, in Swale Dale, by
the river Swale. This gentleman became unfortu-
nate, and was supplanted by a person who was a
clerk in the exchequer office; who observing this fa-
mily held their estate of the crown, and that they ha3
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOy. 201
omitted to renew for many years, procured a grant of
the estate for himself. A great many law-suits en-
sued, but to no other effect than to increase the mis-
fortunes of this gentleman, who died a prisoner in the
Fleet; his adversary, however, had previously made
away with himself.
The Swale was held sacred by the Saxons, because
when first converted to Christianity, upwards of 10,000
men, besides women and children, were baptized in
it by Paulinus, archbishop of York.
Swale Dale is a low, pleasant, and rich valley,
abounding in grass, but very bare of wood, though
here is a place just by called Swale Dale Forest. It
might have been so anciently, but at present the
number of trees upon it are very inconsiderable.
Eggleston Hall stands in a romantic situation on
the banks of the river Swale, under the declivity of
lofty hills towards the north, spreading its white front
and turretted wings towards the south-west, covered
with a grove of sycamores: a small lawn fronts the
house, hanging on a stupendous cliff above the river;
the nearer hills are clothed with wood, and the more
distant, though precipitous, are verdant, and stocked
with sheep : on each hand the river's margin is formed
of level and sequestered meads lying at the foot of
steep ascents. The country viewed from Egglest(m
is remarkably picturesque; on this hand the river
meanders in the valley through a rich level : the as-
cents are in many parts graced with woods; on the
more distant lands scattered villages are seen, above
which are vales winding by the foot of lofty hills,
where cottages are agreeably disposed amongst the
green enclosures, whilst the heights arising at the ex-
tent of the view are rugged and clothed with heath.
RICHMOND
Is the principal town of the district, denominated
Richmondshirc, and derives its name from the rich
and fruitful mount whereon it was built by Alan Earl
of Bretagne, the nephew, and one of William the
262 NORTH AKD EAST RIDINGS.
Conqueror's generals, wlio, for his valour at die battle
of Hastings, was rewarded with this earldom, and all
the north-west part of Yorkshire towards Lancashire.
The charter runs thus: "I WiUiam, surnamed the
Bastard, king of England, do give and grant unto thee
my nephew, Alan Earl of Bretagne, and to thy heirs
for ever, all the villages and lands which of late be-
longed to Earl Edwin in Yorkshire, with the knights
fees, and other liberties and customs, as freely and
honourably as the said Edwin held them. Dated from
our siege or camp before York." It appears that here
were 140 knights fees, each fee containing 12 plough
lands or 640 acres. The town was anciently sur-
rounded with walls.
Adjoining to the town, on the north side of the
Swale, stands the castle built by the before 'mentioned
Alan Earl of Bretagne. This structure forms the
principal feature at Richmond, few places being more
picturesque. The great square tower is ninety-nine
feet high, and was built by Conan in the twelfth cen-
tury. It is three stories high, with a massy column
in the centre, which supported the floors.
The town of Richmond is small, and contains two
churches: its population scarcely amounts to three
thousand. JNlany of the houses are built of free-stone,
and the streets are well paved.
The situation is delightful, standing on a lofty emi-
nence boldlv rising from the Swale, which winds round
the town and '.astle in a semi-circular direction, and
the whole place has a very agreeable appearance.
Between the river and the site of the castle, is a walk
of eight or nine feet in breadth, and about sixty per-
pendicular above the bed of the river, and presenting
to the eye a tremendous precipice. The ground on
which the castle stands, is elevated forty or fifty feet
above this walk, and is faced on that side with massy
stones, resembling a natural rock. The eastern side
of the castle-yard is also skirted by the Swale, but
here the descent, instead of being precipitous as on
the south, slopes dov»n for the space of forty or fifty
TOPOGRAPHICAL DISCRIPTION. ':163
yards to the river. The west side of this once almost
impregnable fortress is faced with a deep valley, the
ascent from which is exceedingly steep. On the north
the site is elevated very little higher than the town.
The castle yet appears mnjestic in its ruins. The
keep, of which the shell is most entire, is about 100
feet high, and the walls are eleven feet thick, the lower
story is supported by a vast column of stone in the
middle, from which circular arches spring, closing the
top: the stair-case goes only to the first chamber, the
rest being dilapidated. In the south-eastern corner of
the area is a ruinous tower, with a dungeon thirteen
or fourteen feet deep. The site of this castle contains
nearly six acres.
Richmond was annexed to the duchy of Lancaster
in the reign of Richard 11. Charles II. conferred the
dukedom of Richmond on his natural son Charles
Lenox, in whose family it still continues.
This borough having been incorporated 19th Eliz.
was in the next parliament, anno 27, called upon to
send representatives. The right of election is in such
persons as are owners of ancient burgages in the said
borough, having a right of pasture in a common field
called Whitcliif pasture. The number of voters is
about 270, and the mayor is the returning officer.
The corporation consists of a mayor, recorder,
twelve aldermen, and twenty-four common-council-
men. The town has thirteen free companies of trades-
men, who annually chuse the mayor on the day of St.
Hilary.
The weekly market is held on Saturday, and is
plentifully supplied with cattle and all sorts of provi-
sions. The inhabitants are pri icipally employed in
the inanufacf'^e of knitted yarn stockings for servants
and husbandmen. This trade extends itself into West-
moreland, or rather from Westmoreland hither, for at
Kendal, Kirby Stephen, and such other places in that
county as border upon Yorkshire, the chief manufac-
ture of yarn stockings is carried on.
Richmond is one of the greatest corn iiuirkets in the
!;i04 NOiini AND E,\ST RIDINGS.
county: being seated on the utmost verge of the dis-
trict in which grain is produced, the corn-factors and
millers repair hither from Swale-dale, VVensley-dale,
and other parts. The market-place is spacious and
handsome, and is surrounded by good shops and houses.
The lead-mines in Swale-dale, and the other dales
communicating with it must be considered as an im-
portant feature in this district: these mines have em-
ployed about 2000 persons at once.
GiLLiNG, three miles from Richmond, is supposed
to have been anciently the chief place of the royalty,
before Richmond. At this place King Oswin was
murdered.
About four miles north-west from Gilling, in Kirby
Hill or Kirby Ravensworth parish, is the ruined castle
of Ravensworth.
In the township of Dalton Traverse, two or three
miles north of Ravensworth, is a place called Castle
Steeds, where are remains of a castrum aestivum, on
a slip of land, above the confluence of two small
brooks, in sight of the Roman road calletl Watling
Street, leading from Catterick by Greta Bridge to
Bowes.
At Melsonby, two miles from Gllling, there was a
convent of Benedictine nuns, founded by king Henry
II. granted to the archbishop of York in exchange for
other lands.
Aidburgh, the Isurium of the Romans, devolved
upon the family of Aidburgh, that resided here in the
spacious mansion called Aldburgh-hall. But though
some of them were knights, the church produces but
one single memorial of them, upon a flat stone inlaid
with brass, being the figure of a knight in armour.
This church is an ancient structure: on the outside
of the wall of the vestry is a figure about two feet and
a half in length, which appears to be that of Mercury,
with a part of the caduceus and the wings. In the
church-yard is a grave-stone, in which is cut in relievo
the half length figure of a woman in a Saxon habit, in
the attitude of prayer.
TUPOGRArUICAL DLSCIlIPll ON. '^OO
The town is a borough, and returns two members
to parliament; all the inhabitants that pay taxes have
a right to vote. The town contains about 500 inha-
bitants.
Pierce Bridge, which is in Durham, is said to be a
corruption of Priest's Bridge, so named from two
priests who built it of stone, or from a chapel built
here by John Baliol, king of Scotland.
SCARBOROUGH
Embraces so many interesting objects, that it is
difficult to distinguish their value and importance.
The new pier is a work of astonishing magnitude.
Its foundation is sixty feet in breadth, and at the
curvature, where there is the greatest force of the sea,
it is sixty-three feet. The breadth at the top is forty-
two feet, and the elevation of the pier forty feet.
The ponderous rocks used in building this pier were
taken from a quarry called the White Nab, about two
miles distant; a great natural curiosity, and worthy of
observation. The Rev. Mark Foster, in his poem
entitled Scarborough, has given a fme description of
the pier :
— — — " Shooting thro* the deep,
The mole immense expands its massy arms
And forms a spacious haven. Loud the winds
Murmur around, impatient of controni.
And lash and foam and thunder. Vain their rage,
Compacted by its hugeness, every stone
With central firmness rests."
The view of Scarborough from the sea is thu.^ ex-
pressed :
'* The gazing seaman here entranced stands,
Whilst fair unfolding from her concave slope,
He Scarborough views. The sandy pediment
First gently rais'd above the wat'ry plain,
Embraces wide the waves, the lower domes
Next lift their heads: then swiftly roof o'er roof,
With many a weary step the streets arite
A a
266 XORTIl AND EAST RIDINGS.
Testudinous, till half o'ercorae the cliff,
A swelling fabric, dear to heaven, aspires
Majestic even in ruin."
This alludes to St. Mary's church. The town is
well buijt, and various circumstances concur to render
it a charming summer retreat. The principal streets
in the upper town are spacious, and well paved with
excellent flagged footways on each side, and the
liouses have in general a handsome appearance. The
new buildings on the cliff stand almost unrivalled in
respect to situation, having in front a beautiful terrace,
elevated near a hundred feet above the level of the sands.
The celebrated mineral waters here owed their dis-
covery to the following circumstance: " Mrs. Farrow,
a sensible and intelligent lady, about the year 1620
used to walk along the shore, and observing that the
stones over which the waters passed received a russet
colour; and having an acid taste and taking a purple
tincture from galls, thought probably they might have
a medicinal property. Having therefore made an
experiment herself, and persuaded others to do the
same, it was found efficacious in some complaints,
and became the usual physic of the inhabitants. It
was afterwards in great reputation with the citizens
of York, and was so generally recommended, that at
length several persons came from a great distance to
drink it, preferring it even to the Italian, French, and
Geraian spas." Such was the origin of this famous
fountain of health.
The spas consist of two wells; the north, or chaly-
beate well ; the south, or saline well. The south well,
or purging water, contains of
Grains.
Vitriolated magnesia, 128
Muriated magnesia, 16
Carbonate of lime, 28
Carbonate of iron, • 2.6
Vitriolated lime, • 58.4
Muriated natron, • 4
237
TOPOGRAPUICAL DESCRIPTION. 267
Carbonic acid gas, or fixed air, 98 ounce measures
per gallon.
The north well, or chu!}'beate water:
Ch'ains,
Vitriolated magnesia, 98
Muriated magnesia, • • • • 14
Carbonate of lime, - 61.5
Carbonate of iron, 3
Vitriolated iime, • 54.4
Muriated natron, • 2.1
Carbonic acid gas, 100 ounce measures per gallon.
And each water contains a small quantity of phlo-
gisticated air.
No place on the British coast affords a situation
more commodious for bathing than Scarborough.
The sand is clear, smooth, and level, and the inclina-
tion of the beach scarcely perceptible. No consider-
able river dilutes the brine, nor is the beach so ex-
tensive as to be uncomfortably hot under a summer's
sun. The sea in the month of August is many degrees
cooler than at Brighton, and possibly than at Wey-
mouth, or any place southward of the Thames.
The parish church of St. Wary was formerly a
spacious and magnificent pile. The ruins in the
eastern part of the church-yard, the dismembered
appearance of the western end, the subterraneous
arches, and the great quantity of foundation stones
discovered in the new burial-ground, sufficiently prove
that the church in its present state is only a small
part of a vast edifice which may have formed both
that and the Cistertian Abbey. The present steeple
at the east end occupies the fonner place ©f the tran-
sept tower. The Independents, the Baptists, Friends,
and Roman Catholics, have their respective places
here for religious exercises. Scarborough had formerly
three other churches.
The ancient and stupendous castle here was once
the glory, and its venerable ruins are yet the orna-
ment, of Scarborough. These are situated at the
A a 2
!?68 XDRTIi AND EAST RIDINX-S.
eastern end of tlie town, on a promontory 300 feet
high on the southern, and 330 on the northern side,
above the level of tlie sea, presenting a vast range
of perpendicular rock completely inaccessible. Its
western aspect also presents a high, steep, and rocky
slope, commanding the town and bay. The level
area at the top of the hill contains upwards of nineteen
acres of excellent soil, gently sloping near twenty feet.
Here are two batteries on the southern, and one on
the northern side of the castle-yard. The approach
to the castle is by a gateway on the summit of a
narrow isthmus on the western side, above the town.
Without the ditch is an out-work, which was the
ancient Barbican. At a small distance within the
gate is the drawbridge, and under it a very deep
fosse, extending along the whole line of the wall.
Within the drawbridge is an easy ascent to the Keep
or Dungeon, a very lofty square tower, the walls of
which are twelve feet thick. The numerous semi-
circular towers upon the embattled wall on the western
side, with apertures from whence arrows and other
missiles were discharged, are falling rapidly into de-
cay. Upon the whole, this ancient castle, before the
invention of artillery, was absolutely impregnable.
The trade of Scarborough, notwithstanding the
convenience of its port, is on a contracted scale. The
exports consist chiefly of corn, butter in firkins, hams,
bacon, and salt fi^h. The imports are coals from
Newcastle and Sunderland, groceries from London;
timber, deals, hemp, flax, and ii-on, from the Baltic;
brandy and geneva from France and Holland. The
fishery on the Scarborough coas4; has been in a de-
clining state for some years. Another impediment to
the commerce of this place has been the want of a
communication with the interior of the country by
water. The markets are held twice a week, on
Thursday and Saturday. The population, by the re-
turn of 181 1, was 6,573 for Scarborough, and 357 for
Falsgrave, exclusive of its fluctuating number of sea-?
liien; supposed about 500. The climate is nnt only
TOPOXiRAl'lJlCAL DESCUrPTIOK. 269
healthy, but Scarborough is remarkable Tor the
longevity of several of its inhabitants. The celebrated
spa here, however, has been one of the chief supports
of this place, as it undoubtedly possesses benefits
above the fluctuating revenues of commerce.
Here it may be proper to remark, that by a singular
accident which occurred in December 1737, this re-
markable spa had like to have been lost. It is situated
about a quarter of a mile from the town, on the sands,
and fronting the sea to the east, under a high cliff;
the back of it, west : the top of the cliff being above
the high water level fifty-four yards. The staith or
vvharf projecting before the spa-house, was a large
body of stone-work bound by timbers, and was a fence
against the sea for the security of the house. It was
seventy-six feet long and fourteen feet high, and in
weight, by computation, 2163 tons. The house and
buildings were upon a level with the staith, at the
north end of which and near adjoining to it, upon a
small rise above the level sands, and at the foot of
the stairs that lead up to the top of the said staith,
and to the house, v>'ere the spa-wells. On Wednesday,
December 28, in the morning, a great crack was
heard from the cellar of the spa- house, and, upon
search, the cellar was found rent; but, at that time
no farther notice was taken of it. The night following
another crack was heard ; and in the morning the in-
habitants were surprised to see the strange posture it
stood in, and got several gentlemen to view it, who,
being of opinion the house could not stand long, ad-
vised them to get out their goods; but they still con-
tinued in it. On Thursday following, between two
and three in the afternoon, another crack was heard,
and the top of the cliff behind it rent two hundred
and twenty-four yards in length, and thirty-six in
breadth, and was all in motion, slowly descending;
and so continued till dark. The ground thus rent
contained about an acre of pasture land, and had
cattle feeding upon it, and was on a level with the
attain land, but sunk near seventeen yards perpendi-
Aa3
270 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
cular. The sides of the cliflF nearest the spa stood as
before, but were rent and broken in many places, and
forced forward to the sea. The ground, when sunk,
lay upon a level, and the cattle next morning were
still feeding on it, the main land being as a wall on
the west, and some part of the side of the cliff as a
wall to the east ; but the whole, to view, gave such a
confused prospect, as could hardly be described. The
rent of the top of the cliff aforesaid, from the main
land, was two hundred and twenty-four yards. The
rent continued from each end down the side of the
cliff to the sands, was measured on the sands from
one end to the other, one hundred and sixty-eight
yards : to wit, sixty-eight south of the staith and spa
wells, and one hundred to the north of the spa. As
the ground sunk, the earth or sand, on which the
people used to walk under the cliff, rose upwards out
of its natural position, for above one hundred yards
in length, on each side of the staith, north and south;
and was in some places six, a»id in others seven, yards
above its former level. The spa-wells rose with it ;
but as soon as it began to rise, the water at the spa-
well ceased running and was gone. The ground thus
risen was twenty-six yards broad ; the staith, which
was computed at 2463 tons, rose, entire and whole,
twelve feet higher than its former position; (but rent
a little in the front), and was forced forwards towards
the sea twenty yards.
The most reasonable account then given for this
phsenomenon, and the occasion of the destruction of
the staith and spa-house, and the loss for some time
of the spa-spring, is as follows: — When this staith, or
wharf, was lately rebuilt (it being thrown down by
the violence of the sea), Mr. Vincent, engineer for
the building of the new pier at Scarborough, was de-
sired to rebuild this staith, at the spa; and, digging a
trench to lay the foundation thereof, with great diffi-
culty cleared it of water; and, when he had done it,
could at several parts thereof, very easily stick his
cane or stick up to the handle; from whence it is
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOK . 271
concluded, that all the eartli under tlie staitli was of
a porous, spongy, swampy nature, and was much the
same below the foundation of the spa-house, and all
under the sides of the cliff adjoining, as well north as
south. Allowing this to be the fact : the solid earth,
sinking on the top of the clilf as before-mentioned
(which was of so vast a weight, as by computation to
amount to 261,360 tons), pressing gradually upon and
into the swampy boggy earth beneath it, would of
course, and did, raise the earth and sands, as before
noticed, and so effect the mischief that has been par-
ticularized. But, fortunately for the town, after a
diligent search, and clearing away the ruins, the spa-
spring was again discovered; and on trial they found
the water rather improved than impaired by the
disaster. And it has since been in a more flourishing
condition than ever.
The proverb of a Scarborough warning, which de-
notes a sudden surprize, did not take its rise from
this event, but from the seizing of its castle by Thomas
Stafford, with a handful of men, in the reign of Queen
Mary I. when the town had no notice of his approach,
and was therefore unprovided for its defence.
Scarborough, it has been observed, possesses the
double attraction of sea-bathing and mineral waters;
and though not so fashionably frequented as some
others, it contains more votaries of liealth tlian of
dissipation among its visitors. Scarborough Castle
had a stately tower, which served as a land-mark to
mariners ; but as it was much injured in the wars be-
tween Charles the First and his Parliament, the whole
now^ presents a bold picturesque mass of ruins. A
barrack in the centre of the line wall is capable of
holding 120 men. The air of this spot is remarkably
pure and piercing ; and it also commands a beautiful
bird's-eye view of the town, shipping, and the German
Ocean constantly traversed by innumerable sails.
The pier is very commodious, and the harbour being
one of the best in this part of the kingdom, is much
resorted to in storniy weather, by the vessels navi-
Sf2 KOiUlI AND EAST HIDINGS.
gating the coast. The flame from the light-house
adjoining is apparent every night as soon as there are
twelve feet of water in the harbour. The ships be-
longing to the place are chiefly employed in the Baltic
and coal trade. Corn, dried flesh, and other articles,
are exported coastways. The fisheries for ling, cod,
haddock, soles, turbot, and herrings, are very con-
siderable, and employ many hands, and about fifteen
hundred sea-faring people are employed in the town
and port. A manufactory of sail-cloth, three rope-
walks, and several ship-yards, are to be found here;
and from the latter, vessels of 600 tons have been
launched.
The sudden tides and short breakings of the sea,
which often come with great impetuosity, render it
advisable to employ both guides and machines.
Morning, as at other places, is the usual time for
bathing and drinking the waters. The shore is a fine
hard sand, and during low water is much frequented
by the company, for walking or riding.
For warm sea-water bathing, a very neat and com-
modious suite of rooms has been lately established on
the cliff, by Messrs. Wilson and Traves, surgeons.
The terms are tliree shillings for the bath, and sixpence
for the attendant. Dr. Thompson is the resident
physician. Here is likewise a shower-bath and every
necessary accommodation.
The spa is about a quarter of a mile south of the
town, on the sands, at the foot of a high cliff. This
spa, consisting of two wells, was discovered about two
centuries ago, and it has been in high reputation ever
since. One of the wells is more purgative, and the
other more chalybeate ; the latter being nearest the
town, is called the chalybeate spring, and the other
the purgative. The aperient, is that which is gene-
rally called the Scarborough water ; at the fountain
they have both a brisk pungent chalybeate taste, but
the purgative is also rather bitter; the quantity usually
drank, is from two to four pints. These waters are
found effectual in hectic fevers, weaknesses of the
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 273
stomacli and indigestion, in nil relaxations of tiie
system, nervous, hysteric, and hypochondriacal dis-
orders; in the green sickness, scurvy, rheumatism,
and asthma; in gleets, fluor albus, and other preter-
natural evacuations, and in liabitual costiveness.
A person under the name of governor resides during
the season at the spa, and receives a subscription of
seven shillings and sixpence from each person, one-
third of which is appropriated to the water-servers,
the rest to the corporation for the repairs of tlie place.
From the purgative well, salts are prepared, which
are much esteemed as a gentle aperient. The heat
of these springs is between forty-five and forty-six
degrees, or five less than the mean heat of springs in
general.
Though lodgings are numerous, they are frequently
well filled at a customary rate, rising from ten shillings
and sixpence to fifteen shillings for a room, and half
that price for servants' apartments; but the proprietors
will not break their suites of rooms whilst there is any
prospect of letting them entire. The principal lodging-
houses are on the cliff, most of which have full sea
views ; in Harding's-row, Newborough-street, Long-
room-street, Tanner-street, Albion-place, Queen-
street, &c. At the numerous boarding-houses ser-
vants are provided for at half price. Provisions of
all kinds, especially fish, are cheap at Scarborough.
The principal inns are the Black Bull -without the
gates ; the New Inn, the George, Newborough Arms,
Blacksmith's Arms, and Talbot, Queen-street; and
the Golden Bull, High-street. AH these are posting-
houses, though several other persons let horses for
liire. At the coffee-house the corner of Tanner-street
the newspapers may be read for a very moderate
subscription. The assembly-room is annexed to the
hotel, which is large and commodious. Here is also
a neat theatre, and the taste for the elegant amuse-
ments of the stage is said to be very prevalent here.
There are also three circulating libraries, to which
S74 NORTH AND EAST RIDIN6S.
the subscription is ver}' moderate; and an industrious
gardener has laid out his grounds, which are of con-
siderable extent, in walks, to which any person sub-
scribing two shillings and sixpence may be admitted
for the season. Here those who are fond of fruit may
purchase it fresh on the spot.
Among the amusements of the visitors here, fishing
as well as sailing is considered not the least ; ap-
paratus for sea-fishing may be I'eadily procured, with
proper attendants. Those who prefer angling, may
have recourse to the Derwent, about a mile from the
town, which abounds with trout, pike, &:c. and per-
mission is seldom refused on application to the pro-
prietors. The most fashionable promenades are on
the sands both to the north and south of the town.
Excursions are also often made to Hackness-hall, the
seat of the late Sir Richard Bempte Johnson, bart.
in a retired valley about six miles from Scarbo-
rough; to Wickham, a spacious house built on the
site of an old abbey, belonging to Mrs. Langley.
Brompton is the residence of Sir George Cayley,
bart.: these and Scampston, the favourite seat of the
late Sir William St. Quintin, may all be seen in a
morning's ride. Parties also are frequently made to
Castle-Howard, the seat of the Earl of Carlisle,
twenty-six miles distant. Duncomb-park, another
seat built by Vanburgh, lies thirty miles from Scar-
borough. The family have embeliished it with the
finest productions of art. Among other curious ob-
jects, is the dog of Alcibiades, finely executed in
marble, originally brought from Rome by the late
Mr. Jennings.
NEW MALTON
Ts a populous borough town, situated on the river
Derwent, which is navigable to the town, with a
handsome stone bridge across. The town is about
half a mile in length, and divided by the river into
the Old and New Towns, in which are three parislj
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION, 275
churches. Malton, being a borough by prescription,
sends two members to parliament, chosen by the
householders; and its municipal government is vested
in a bailiff and subordinate olficers.
The houses at New JMalton are upwards of 600 in
number, mostly built of stone, and the town contains
between 3 and 4000 inhabitants. Here are two
parish churches, St. JNIichael's and St. Leonard's ; the
spire of the latter being a truncated cone, has a sin-
gular appearance. The weekly market is on Saturday,
and a great trade is carried on in corn. At the first
annual fair on the Saturday before Palm-Sunday, and
on some days before, there is a very great show of
horses.
At Brougiiion, a mile and a half north-west from
Malton, was an hospital of St. Mary Magdalen,
founded by Eustace Fitz-John, who died in the reign
of Henry 11.
At KiRKiiAM, about four miles north from Pvlalton,
are the remains of a priory of Augustine canons,
founded by Walter D'Espee and Adeline his wife, in
the year 1121.
Four miles north from Whitweil is Castle Howard,
a seat of the Earl of Carlisle, built from a design of Sir
John Vanburgh, in the same style as Blenheim-House:
the front of the fomier is longer than this, and its
exterior is extremely magnificent; the state apart-
ments are particularly distinguished for grandeur of
appearance; though the ceilings in general exceed the
usual proportion in height. The princely collection
of paintings, statues, busts, &c. with which this
mansion is enriched, afford a high gratification to the
admirers of the fine arts ; but a mere enumeration of
them would exceed the limits assigned to any single
subject in this work.
The park has been considerably improved by the
recent addition of a fine sheet of water. The orna-
mental buildings are in grand style. At the south
entrance is an elegant inn ; and in the centre of four
avenues bordered with lofty trees, and crossed at right
276 N-unni and east hidings.'
angles, stands a stately quadrangular obelisk, 100 feef,
in memory of the valour and success of John Duke of
Marlborough, erected in 1714. Nearly opposite to
the great grand entrance in the north front of the
house, an elegant monument commemorates the
victories of the immortal Nelson ; and about half a
mile eastward of the house, is an Ionic temple with
four porticos, and a beautiful interior with several
busts in the niches. About a quarter of a mile
further, and nearly in the same direction, stands the
• family iMausoleum, a circular building above fifty feet
in diameter, surrounded with a handsome colonnade
of Doric pillars. Its height is ninety feet, and that
of the inside sixty-eight and a half: the floor is in
different compartments, inlaid with marble.
Journci/ from York to Hull; through Markct-Wei^/iton
and Beverley.
Ar WiLBEUFOSs, about eight miles from York, on
our road, ther,e was anciently a convent of Benedictine
nuns, said to have been founded by Alan de Catron,
before the year 1153.
At Ellerton, on the river Derwent, five miles
south from Wilberfoss, the priory of Gilbertine canons
was founded by William Fitz-Peter, before the year
1212.
At Stanfoud Bridge, two miles north from Wil-
berfoss, Harold, King of England, attacked Harold
Haardread, who had just landed at Riccal with his
men, from 200 ships. The Danes were defeated, and
their king killed. The battle was fought only about
ten days before the invasion of Wilham the Conqueror.
This place was afterwards called Battle-bridge, but
at present it preserves its ancient name.
POCKLINGTON
Is a small market-town, situated about a mile east
from the turnpike road from York to Hull. The
market day is on Saturday, and thure are four annual
TOPOGKAPinCAL DEbCRIPTIOX. 277
fairs. There arc no niaiiufactures at this place, nor
any great trade.
In the neighbourhood there are many beautiful seats
of noblemen and gentlemen, anion'^: the regt Kilank
Percy's Hail, Warter Hall, Heaton, Everingham Hall,
and Melburn Hall.
In Everingham church-yard tliere is a very old font,
ornamented with carving in the Saxon style, which
formerly stood in the church.
In a gravel-pit in Barnsley field, near Pockiington,
were dug up in 1763, four human skeletons ; three
were without coffins, the fourth was enclosed in a
coffin with an urn at the head, on the outside of
which were engraved several ancient characters.
About two miles east from Pockiington is the vil-
lage of Millington, where four Roman roads met,
and where there was a strong camp to defend York
on this side, consisting of a number of works, carried
over hills and valleys from sixty to ninety feet per-
pendicular, with four or six ditches, from ten to twelve
yards broad, inclosing in all 4185 acres, with tumuli.
On the south side of the hill, half a mile north-east
from the village, have been discovered the foundations
of buildings, Roman pavements, tiles, flues, and coins,
the site of a circular edifice or temple, 45 feet dia-
meter within, and the foundations near five feet thick;
and near it two oblong buildings, whose stones had
marks of burning and pieces of burnt wood, beast's
bones, and part of large deer's horns.
Dr. Burton determines Millington to have been the
Roman station Delgovicia, and not at Weighton, as
some antiquaries have imagined.
Aldby, a neighbouring village, on the south side of
the Derwent, is supposed to be the remains of an
ancient Roman city called Derventis, where a com-
pany was stationed named Derventienses. There are
the remains of a castle and fortification to be seen at
this place.
2/8 .\ORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
MARKET- WEIGHTON,
A small market-town, eighteen miles from York,
consists principally of one long street. About forty
years ago the houses were in general low and mean,
and covered with thatch; but since that period a
number of elegant buildings have been erected, by
spirited individuals, on the sites of the old ones, so
that the town has an air of neatness and convenience
united. The chief inn (the new King's Arms), built
by the late Duke of Devonshire, is a spacious, elegant,
and, it may with justice be added, a magnificent
structure.
Market Weight(m stands on a little river called
Foulness; and here is a communication between the
Humber and a place within two miles ofWeighton,
by means of a canal. Coals -and other articles are
brought to this place for the supply of the town and
neighbourhood ; and the keels or barges which bring
them return laden with grain.
The situation of this town is uncommonly pleasant
and healthful, and so level is the country about it,
that from a hill near the town of very inconsiderable
elevation, the three minsters of York, Lincoln, and
Beverley, and about a score of parish churches, may
on a clear day be distinctly seen. Homan and Bri-
tish antiquities are frequently discovered in the neigh-
bourhood of this town.
The church is an ancient, strong, but heavy struc-
ture. It formerly had a wooden spire, which has been
taken down, and a considerable addition made to the
height of the tower. Of late years the inside of this
church has been greatly ornamented, and furnished
with an additional gallery, and a number of commo-
dious pews.
The market is held on Wednesdays after it is dark.
This is a great corn market, where some thousands of
quarters are weekly disposed of by sample.
The principal villages and seats of the nobility and
gentry in the neighbourhood are as follows: Lonesbo-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 279
rough, tlie seat of the Duke of Devonshire, two miles
distant. In the parish church at this place are hung
up some pieces of very ancient armour: such as a hel-
met, steel coverings for the hands, &c. There are
also several escutcheons and monuments of very an-
cient date. Goodmanham, a village of great antiquity,
one mile distant. — South Dalton, six miles distant,
and Houghton, only two miles from Weighton.
Not far from Weighton is Holme monastery, w hich,
after the Dissolution, became the seat of a branch of
the Constable family, afterwards of the loyal Sir Mar-
maduke Langdale, from which he had the title of
Baron conferred on him during the exile of Charles II.
being the first English peer created by that prince,
which title expired with his descendant ^nd the fifth
lord in 1778, who died without issue male.
The Roman road from York to Weighton, runs
across the Derwent, over Kexby Bridge, leaving the
Benedictine nunnery at Wilberfoss to the left. Thence
it passes on to Barnby Moor, near an inn. Over the
moor the Roman road is very visible, and may be
traced most part of the way on the present road.
This led over Stanford Bridge to the north-east of
Barnby Moor and Pocklington, through Millington,
through Lonesborough Park, Weighton, &;c. to Brough.
BEVERLEY
Is a considerable market-town, situated at the foot
of the Wolds, about a mile from the river of Hull.
The origin of this place is involved in great obscurity :
however, it appears certain that St. John of Beverley
founded in this place a church dedicated to St, John
the Baptist, which was afterwards converted into a
monastery previous to the year 721. In 867 this mo-
nastery being destroyed by the Danes under Inguar
and Ubba, remained desolate three years.
After this, little is known of Beverley till it was
taken under the protection of Athelstan in the tenth
century. Beverley was favoured by WiUiara the Con-
B b2
980 NORTH AND KAST RIDINGS.
queror, but in the Civil Wars l)et\veen Cliailes I. and
the Parliament, it vvas hy turns the prey of each party.
Beverley formerly contained four churclies, at pre-
sent there are only two, but the largest and finest pa-
rochial ones in the kingdom ; viz. the late collegiate
church of St. John the Evangelist, still called the
Minster, and St, Mary's.
John of Beverley, archbishop of York, afterwards
canonised, is said to have founded, about the year
700, a society of monks in the choir of the parish
church in the nare; a college of secular canons and
clerks, in which he ended his days; and in the cha-
pel of St. Martin adjoining, a convent of nuns; but
about a century after, the church and buildings were
plundered and burned, and the religious dispersed or
murdered, by the Danes. Not long after, some of
the seculars vyho had escaped, returned, and began to
repair the church, which was completed and endowed
hy king Athelstan, for seven canons, and large privi-
leges, to tlie honour of St. John of Beverley, under
the patronage of the Archbishop of York, as above-
mentioned. This college flourished, and at the Disso-
lution consisted of a provost, eight prebendaries, a
chancellor, precentor, seven rectors choral, nine vicars
choral, with many chantry priests, clerks, choristers,
&c. I\Iost of the prebendal houses were granted by
Edward VI. to Michael Stanhope and John Bellasize.
In the year 1708, the minster being very ruinous,
Mr. Moyser, member of parliament for Beverley, pro-
cured a brief for the repair of it; and, by his sole so-
licitation among his friends and acquaintance, raised
1500/. to which he and his family contributed very
largely. This sura, with 800/. the produce of the
brief, being put into the funds, was considerably
augmented by the rise of the South-sea stock, in the
year 1720, which enabled him to complete his pious
design in a most beautiful manner in his life-time : and
he had the sole management and direction both of the
money and of the Application of it, being assisted by
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 231
llie advice of that able architect Nicliolas Hawkes-
niore, esq. This work \^ as encouraged by his majesty
Kiiig George I, not only by a liberal donation of
money, but likewise of stone, from the dissolved mo-
nastery of St. Mary's in York. Sir Michael Warton
gave in his lifetime 500/. and by will 4000/. as a per-
petual fund towards keeping it in repair.
The choir is paved with marble of four different
colours, lozenge-wise, appearing cubical to the eye.
Over the altar is a Lirge and magnificent wooden arch
curiously engraven, standing upon eight fluted co-
lumns of the Corintliian order. The east window is
of painted glass, collected out of the several windows
about the church; but so artfully joined, that they
make throughout one regular and entire figure. — The
screen between the choir and the nave was rebuilt of
Iloche abbey stone, in the Gothic style, and is de-
servedly esteemed one of the chief ornaments of the
church. The body of the church is paved with the
same stone, intermixed with black marble. The pul-
pit, reading desk, and cover of the front, are of excel-
lent workmanship, theg:illeriesare beautifully finished,
supported by columns of the Doric order. But the
most curious thing in tliis pile, is the north-end waH
of the great cross aisle, which hung over four feet,
and was screwed up to its proper perpendicular by the
ingenious contrivance of Mr. Thornton of York,
joiner, made practicable by a gentleman of Beverley,
and approved by Mr. Hawkesmore. The admirable
machine for this purpose was engraved by Mr. Four-
drinier, and printed fur the benefit of his widow in the
year 1739.
Upon opening a grave, on the 13lii of Sept. 16G4,
they met with a vault of square free-stone, fifteen
feet long, and two feet broad : within which was a
sheet of lead four feet long, and in that the ashes,
and six beads (whereof three crumbled to dust with a
touch; of the three remaining, two were supposed to
be cornelian), with three great brass pins, and four
B b 3
282 NOIITH AND EAST RIDINGS.
large iron nails. Upon the sheet lay a leaden plate,
with a Latin inscription in capital letters, thus trans-
lated :
"In the year of our Lord's incarnation, 1188, in Sep-
tember, the night after the festival of St. Matthew
the Apostle, this church was consumed by fire;
and in the year 1197, on the 10th of March, search
was made for the reliques of St. John in this place;
and these bones were found in the eastern part of
the sepulchre, and here again deposited; a mixture
of dust and mortar was also found in the same
place, and again deposited."
Over this lay a box of lead, about seven inches
long, and six broad, and five deep, wherein were
several pieces of bones mixed with a little dust, and
yielding a sweet smell : all these things were carefully
re-interred in the middle aisle of the minster.
In the minster is an old stone seat, upon which
was this inscription :
Haec Sedes Lapidea Freed-Stoole Dicitur. ie. Pacis
Cathedra; ad Quam reus fugiendo perveniens omni
raodam habet securitatem.
That is: —
This stone seat is called Freed-Stoole, a chair of
peace; to which if any criminal flee, he shall have
full protection.
In this church are several monuments of the Per-
cies, Earls of Northumberland, who have added a
little chapel to the choir. On the right side of the
altar-place stands the freed-stool, mentioned above,
made of one entire stone, and said to have been re-
moved from Dunbar in Scotland, with a well of water
behind it. At the upper end of the body of the church,
next the choir, hangs an ancient table, with the pic-
ture of St. John the Evangelist (from whom the church
is named) and of King Athelstan the founder of it,
and between them this distich:
Als free make I thee.
As heart can wish, or egh can see.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 283
King Charles I. coining into the church, and read-
ing these verses, is reported to have added,
Even so free be.
In the body of the church of St. John stands an
ancient monument, which they call the virgins^ tomb ;
because two virgins, sisters, lay buried there, who
gave the town a piece of land, into which any free-
man may put three milch cows from Lady-day to
Michaelmas. At the lower end of the body of the
church stands a fine large font of agate-stone.
Since Camden and Dr. Gibson wrote, this church
of St. John of Beverley has undergone a thorough re-
pair, with some alterations, and is now a most superb
edifice. The west end is adorned with two lofty
towers or steeples, and the whole building displays a
magnificence equal to that of some of our cathedrals.
The church of St. Mary is also a large and handsome
structure.
The market is held on Saturday. The length of
Beverley is more than a mile. The entrance from
Driffield is remarkably fine; a handsome street with
elegant houses terminates at an ancient gateway.. The
market-place is spacious and beautiful; the streets
mostly broad, and the houses large and well-built:
The number of inhabitants are about 7000. Added
to the several fairs, the canal cut between this town
and the Humber is very advantageous in a commer-
cial point of view.
The principal trade carried on in Beverley, is mak-
ing malt, oatmeal, and tanned leather. The cloth-
ing trade was formerly followed in this town ; but even
in Leland's time was very much decayed.
There are four common pastures near the town,,
containing 1000 acres, in which every burgess or free-
man may keep twelve head of cattle. There is a kind
of spa in one of them to the east, called Swine-moor,
said to be serviceabte in sores, ulcers, &c. Several
springs run through the town. The sessions are al-
ways held here , and here is not only a jail, but the
284 NORTH AND EAST RIDIXG3.
office which has been established for the regi>ter of ail
deeds, wills, ike. that affect any lands, 6i'C. pursuant
to an act of parliament in J 780.
The common gaol about thirty years ago was re-edi-
fied at a considerable expence, and the windows well
sashed; there are seven alms-houses in the town, and
legacies left for two more, besides a work-house.
lieverley lias an excellent free-school, to the scho-
lars of which are appropriated two fellowships at St.
John's College in Cambridge, six scholarships, and
three exhibitions.
Beverley is a borough, and sends two members to
parliament, and the number of voters have exceeded
1200. Many persons have been induced to purchase
their freedom on account of the advantages attached
to the common pasture gronnd belonging to the town.
The town is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen,
and thirteen of the principal burgesses.
At Leckonfield, about three miles north fiom Be-
verley, was a celebrated mansion of the ancient Earls
of Northumberland, which was taken down in the
reign of James I.
CoTTiNGHAM, two milcs north-wcst from New-
lands, and about six miles from Beverley, contains
many well built houses, in the manner of country
villas, which are inhabited by opulent merchants of
Hull, and the whole place with its vicinity, its plea-
sure grounds, &c. exhibits the appearance of a well-
cultivated garden. The church is spacious and hand-
some, with a stately tower or steeple, rising from its
centre. Here are also many gardeners, who Carry
their produce to Hull, and contribute greatly to the
supply of that place. Castle-hill is at the west side of
the town, at the end of the north gate. Baynard
castle, which stood here, was burnt down in 1543,
and never rebuilt. A fine Gothic building, erecteeJ
by Thomas Thompson, esq. member of parliament,
an opulent merchant and banker at Hull, bears the
name of Cottinghara CastJe.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOX. 28j
HULL,
Also called KiiTgston-upon-Hull, is situated on tlie
north side of the Humber, at the mouth of the river
Hull.
The high street, formerly called Hull-street, is tho
most ancient part of the town ; it is above a thousand
yards in length, but narrow and disagreeable. On
the east of this street, the houses belonging to opulent
merchants are elegant; and there are some good
houses on the west side. The Custom-house stands
nearly in the middle of the High-street. On the east
side of this street, a number of stairs, or staiths, run to
the river. Many of the streets that branch off to the
south and west, are well built, open and airy. Near
the south end of the market-place, stands a fine
equestrian statue of William HL erected in 1734.
The remains of the Monastery of St. x-Vugustine have
been removed, the shambles better arranged, and the
market-place rendered more open and airy. Similar
improvements have been made at the southern ex-
tremity of the town, on the banks of the Humher.
A spacious theatre has also lately been erected. The
ditches, drawbridges, and other formidable military
works opposed to Charles L are no longer to be seen,
being all levelled with the gvound. \\hite Friars is very
broad and airy, but the narrow alleys on the north
side, are the abodes of vice and misery. Most of the
best streets are well-paved with flagged footways.
The suburbs contain many new streets, and the whole
town has for many years past displayed all that orna-
ment and improvement which an extended commerce,
and an influx of wealth never fail to introduce; and
bricks have been made here, both for home n?e and
exportation.
The bridge over tlie river Hull, commonly called
the North-bridge, has two handsome arches of free
stone at each emi, Vs'ith a drawbridge in the mid<lle,
wide enough to admit any vessels used to coitie into
this port, and decorated with an innv balustrade ou
286 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
each side, with a flagged path for passengers. From
the bridge a smooth gravel-walk, nearly three quarters
of a mile in length, extends outward along the east
bank of the river Hull to the Humber; and at the
southern extremity of this walk is an entrance to the
citadel, close by the south block-house, which is
situated in the west bastion, at the acute angle formed
by the rivers Hull and Humber. A formidable battery
faces the Humber, and in time of war all the em-
brasures on the mounds facing the water, are gene-
rally well furnished with cannon: here is also a maga-
zine, rnd the fortress is surrounded by a ditch filled
from the haven. In peace a few companies of in-
valids are lodged in barracks. Steam-boats now ply
between Hull and Selby. The pubHc buildings in
Hull, excepting the church of the Holy Trinity, do
not display any great degree of magnificence ; this is
stately, large, well proportioned, and of exquisite
workmanship, fonning one complete range of Gothic
architecture. The church of St. Mary was built in
the year 1333, about twenty years after the founda-
tion of that of the Holy Trinity. It was once much
larger that it is now; it is well lighted, and is divided
into three aisles by two rows of Gothic columns : the
church of St. John is new, being opened for service
in May 1792. It is built of brick, upon arches raised
seven feet above the surface, and contains a number
of vaults for interment. All the windows open at the
top, and two large patent stoves warm it in winter.
The pews, containing near 1200 places, are all sold,
or let. The most ancient of the chapels for Protestant
Dissenters, is that of the Presbyterians in Bowl-
alley: the Baptists, Methodists, Roman CathoUcs, the
Quakers, and Jews, have also their places of worship.
The Grammar School here, founded in the reign of
Richard ill., has had several celebrated masters.
Besides this, there are three Free Schools, a Lancas-
trian School, and several spinning schools for girls.
Mr. Wallis in Myton-gate, has a valuable museum
of curiosities, both natural and artificial, particularly
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 28T
a dagger brought from India, said once to have be-
longed to the great Tamerlane ; a sword of Edward
the Black Prince, with a large black pommel ; another
of Henry VIII. ; ornamented with gold, with a large
assortment of ancient spurs, 6cc.
The charitable institutions at Hull are numerous,
and under judicious regulations; as the Trinity-house,
for decayed seamen and their wives, or widows. In
this two cunous boats are preserved, one of which
was taken up on the Greenland coast in the year
1613, with the clothing and accoutrements of the
man who was found in it, who refusing to eat, died in
three days.
The Trinity-house is a corporation of itself, com-
posed of a society of merchants. It was begun by
voluntary contribution, for the relief of distressed and
aged seamen, and their wives and widows; but was
afterwards improved by the government, and incor-
porated. They have a government by twelve elder
brothers, and six assistants. Out of the twelve they
choose annually two wardens (but the whole eighteen
vote in electing them), and two stewards. These
have a power to decide disputes between masters of
ships and their crews, in matters relating to sea-
affairs; with this limitation, that their judgment be
not contrary to the laws of the land ; but such de-
ference is paid to it, that in trials at law in such
affairs, they are often called to give their opinions.
Near the Trinity-house is an ancient hospital called
God's House, with a chapel near it; both of which
were pulled down in the wars of 1643, but rebuilt in
1673.
The Charter-house was founded by Michael de la
Pole, the first Earl of Suffolk ; the present spacious
brick edifice was built in the year 1T80. Here the
poor have commodious apartments, ai»d live in a com-
fortable manner. Greg's Hospital, Watson's, Harri-
son's, Weaver's, and Ratcliffe's, were all founded by
persons whose names they bear. Charity-hall, a spa-
cious and convenient structure, was erected for the
i^88 Xoniil AND EAST BlDIMGb.
residence of the parish poor. The shipping belonging
to the port, are assessed for poor-rates, and the stock
ill trade of every person in the town ; and liere is a
General Intirmary for tlie cure of the sick and lame
poor, where, in cases of sudden accident, no recom-
mendation is required. Lastly, here is a Society for
the Suppression of Vice and Immorality. The whale
fishery constitutes a prominent feature in the trade of
Hull, which sends more ships to Greenland than any
other port in England, London excepted. The inland
trade of Hull has also been reckoned greater than that
of any other English port. This extensive and multi-
farious commerce, naturally causes a considerable in-
flux of people, and according to the returns of 1811,
the population of Hull, including Drypool, Sutton,
and Sculcoates, amounted to 38,000, without the
fluctuating population at sea. The government of
Hiili is vested in a Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen;
the former on all public occasions appears in a rich
scarlet gown, witii a gold chain round his neck, the
i.word borne before him erect, &c. li\ fact, the cor-
poration have two swords ; one a present from King
Hichard H. and the other from King Henry VHI. one
of which is carried before the mayor on all public
occasions, and a cap of maintenance, and oar of
lignum vitee, as ensigns of honour: the last being also
a badge of his admiralty within the limits of the
Humber.
The environs of Hull for several miles round, pre-
sent one unifonn level, almost entirely destitute of
wood, except a few trees thinly scattered; though the
Humber, froiii two to three miles in breadth, with the
vessels constantly saihng on its bosom, is a grand
feature. Sculcoates is so nearly joined to Hull, that
their respective limits cannot be distinguished by
strangers. This place is of greater antiquity than
Hull, being mentioned in Doomsday Book as one of
the lordships of Roger de Mortimer, lis ancient
church was taken down in 1761, and rebuilt wholly
of brick.
TOPOGKAPIIICAL DESCRIPTION. 289
Hull sends two members to parliament, and the
right of election is in the burgesses from birth or ap-
prenticeship, or from donation for public service.
The sheriff is the returning officer, and the number of
electors is computed at about 2000, and that of the
houses, 4166.
Journey from Whitby to York; throvgh Pickerings
Kirkby Moor-side^ and Hehmley Black'noor.
WiiiTBY, a town of no small commercial import-
ance, owes its origin to a famous abbey founded here
in the year 650, by Oswy, King of Northumberland.
The original Saxon name of Whitby, was Streanshall.
This place, with its abbey, was so completely destroyed
by the Danes in 867, that its very name was lost in
the ruins, and the place remained desolate till nearly
the time of the Norman Conquest, when a few huts
being erected, it took the name of Presteby. Its pre-
sent name some derive from the original white houses,
v.hich being seen from sea, occasioned its being called
White Bay, or Whitby.
Even in 1540, this town did not contain above 200
inhabitants, and about forty liouses. The degrees by
which Whitby rose to its high commercial importance,
would occupy too much space in their detail for this
work : the building of the piers, however, have been
highly instrumental in increasing its consequence as a
sea-port. Batteries being erected on both these
works, form a couiplete line of defence to the town
and harVjour during war time, against the privateers
and ships of war of an enemy. Whitby is extremely
cold, and the coast often stormy, like Scarborough;
notwithstanding these temporary inconveniences, the
climate is uncommonly healthy. This town stamis
on two opposite declivities on the banks of the river
Esk, which forms the harbour. From the number of
docks, the business of ship-building has been xery
brisk. Whitby is very closely and irregularly built,
though the houses of the opulent are spacious and
elegant. Mobt of the streets are narrow, and here
c c
290 KORIII AND EAST RIDINGS.
are no public buildings worthy of notice. The Town-
hall, erected by the late Mr. Cholmley, is a heavy pile
of the Tuscan order; but the Poor-house is on an
extensive plan, and being judiciously managed, is a
comfortable asylum for the distressed. The parish
church, seated near the top of a hill, is approached
from the bottom of the vale by an ascent of 190
stone steps. Near the door of the vestry is a superb
monument erected in 1772, over the grave of General
Lascelles, who was a native of WhitlDy. A spacious
chapel of ease has been erected in the lower part of
the town, for the convenience of the inhabitants ;
besides which, there are three others in the country
places belonging to the parish; one of these, at Sleights,
is remarkably elegant; Dissenters of various deno-
minations have also their different places of worship.
Whitby Abbey uas founded by Oswy, about the year
655. At the Dissolution, the site of the abbey and its
lands came into the possession of Sir Richard Cholm-
ley, a descendant from the Cholmondeleys of Cheshire.
Of Whitby Abbey nothing remains but the ruins of
the church, which appear upon a commanding situa-
tion on a high cliff on the east side of the town, which
it overlooks, with the river Esk, and a beautiful
country, the elevations of which, crowned with the
elegant mansions of the opulent, greatly embellish the
scenery. The eastern half of the town is the longest,
being three quarters of a mile in length; but its
breadth is very inconsiderable. Church-street con-
stitutes the principal part of this half of Whitby, being
upwards of half a tnile long. In the north part it is
extremely crowded, as numbers of populous yards
climb the steep bank behind, on the sides of which
houses are seen perched on situations almost inac-
cessible. To these the ascent is by flights of stone
steps, often very steep, and sometimes running in a
zig-zag direction. On the opposite side of the street
the yards have a descent towards the water. One
remarkable opening unoccupied, forming a sloping
square, is called Boulby-bank. To the south of these
TOPOGRAPHICAL DE5CUIPTI0N, 291
is RipleyVbuildings, erected by the late Mr. John
Ripley. Another opening a little further south, has
been filled by Mr. Gideon Sinales, with handsomer
buildings, rising in parallel ranges one above another.
The new row of houses near the termination of this
street, is properly named Prospect-row. The other
streets on this side the Esk occupy but little ground ;
those that lie between Church-street and the harbour
are all small and crowded.
The western division of Whitby is the largest and
the most elegant. The low part of the town follows
the course of the river upward till it approaches Bag-
dale-beck. Flowergate, Skinner-street, and the New-
buildings, with the quay or front street of the crag,
are spacious and convenient. Bagdale, in fine, may
be numbered among the new streets ; the north side
is wholly new, and the houses, with small neat gardens
in front, are finished in a style of superior elegance;
but Skinner-street is the most regular in the town.
But though building with brick has generally pre-
vailed for fifty or sixty years past, within a short
period, stone has again begun to have the preference.
The most handsome stone house is that of John
Campion Coates, esq. built after the plan of the
Mansion-house in London. Field-house, the seat of
Christopher Richardson, esq. recently rebuilt, is also
a stately residence with a stone front, finished in the
best style of architecture.
Very interesting views of Whitby may be taken
from the Larpool road: from that point the New-
buildings are seen to most advantage, while venerable
structures that crown the eastern clitl' are also in full
view. The prospect is nearly as complete fiom Airy-
hill, Meadow-field, and the vicinity; but probably the
most romantic view of the town, is that from the
woody banks of the Esk, beyond Boghall, or from
the middle of the river, in sailing down the Ruswarp.
The approach by Bagdale, though more confined,
is also highly interesting: near the Friends' burying-
ground it is worth the traveller's while to halt and
c c 2
292 KORTH AND EAST filDINGS.
enjoy tlie picturesque scenery before him. On the
left, half concealed by trees, a portion of the New-
buildings are highly elevated, with sloping gardens
before them ; whilst those on the opposite side, with
Bagdale-water in front, exhibit a pleasing contrast.
Beyond and above all, is the ancient mansion of the
Cholinleys, the north front of which is about fifty
yards in extent. Cholmley-hall was erected by Sir
Hugh Cholmley in the time of Charles 11.
There is usually more business done in the shops at
fairs, and on market-days, than in the market, not
because the country people then supply themselves
with groceries, draperies, &c. but because Saturday
is the grand day of purchase for the town itself, as
the workmen are usually paid on a Friday night.
Whitby is furnished with no less than 48 inns, coffee-
houses, and public-houses. The principal inns are
tlje Angel, the Golden Lion, and the White Horse.
What is extraordinary in this large town is, that in
1816 there was only one resident Jew.
The Post-oflice is in the Old Market-place: the
post comes in every morning about nine or ten o'clock,
and goes out every day at one.
Two different courts belong to the manor of Whitby:
the Court Leet, and the Court of Pleas, and Court
Baron. Whitby contains nine places of worship be-
longing to seven different sects; among these are one
for the Friends, and one for the Catholics. Whitby
church is not yet furnished with an organ; but though
crowded with galleries, is scarcely sufficient to contain
the congregation.
The new quay is furnished with commodious stairs
for going down into the harbour, on both sides of
which there are openings at various places, termed
ghauts or gaiitSy perhaps simply a contraction for go
out. Some of these are wide enough to allow waggons
to go down to the ships. Whitby-bridge was com-
pletely rebuilt on stone pillars in 1768, when it as-
sumed the form it now wears.
The population of Whitby is stated by the ingenious
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION, 293
aiid indefatigable Mr. George Young, in liis History
of Whitby published in 1817, at 10/203, who noticed
in one family twelve brothers all seamen; a circum-
stance perhaps without a parallel. Hitherto Whitby
has been almost without lamps; but the cheapness of
gas and its superior utihty, it is hoped, will soon
remedy all the complaints occasioned by darkness.
Among the benevolent institutions here, is the
Seamen's Hospital, which affords a comfortable asylum
to 42 widows, besides children. The Dispensary was
opened in 1806; the Female Charity in 1808; and
the Charity for clothing the Aged Female Poor, about
the end of 1814, not to mention the Clubs or Benefit
Societies, Sunday Schools, Bible Societies, &c.
The present theatre in Scate-lane belongs to a
number of subscribers. Sometimes this house, when
well filled, will hold about 500 persons. Balls and
assemblies are not frequent. To a public library and
the news room, may be added the botanical garden,
as a source of innocent and rational instruction. But
the sale of fruit and sweetmeats on a Sunday, is
brought forward as a deviation from the precepts of
religion.
The river Esk, that traverses nearly the whole
breadth of the district, in its progress eastward, re-
ceives a multitude of lesser streams, issuing from a
like number of dales. In proceeding up the Esk and
its branches, we meet w^ith several pleasant villages
and country seats. Ruswarp, above a mile from
Whitby, is an agreeable spot. Here is a venerable
hall, once belonging to the Bushel family, but now a
farm-house. Above Ruswarp is a level tract called
the Carrs, a name applied to places occasionally
overflowed by the sea.
Sleights is a handsome village, four miles from
Whitby, with a hall belonging to Mrs. Bateman, once
the seat of the Burdett family. Aislaby, on a com-
manding height on the north, is the residence of Mark
Noble and John Benson, esqrs. In the valley below
c c 3
294 NORTH AND EAST RIDIKGS,
is Esk-hall, the seat of J. C. Coates, esq., aiiA Wood-
lands, tlie pleasant mansion of H. \V. Yeoman, esq.
Egton, about eis^ht miles from Whitby, is a po-
pulous village hi a high and bleak situation; but the
valley about Limber-hill, and Arnclift' wood, is de-
lightful. In another sweet spot some miles further,
is Danby Lodge, belonging to Lord Downe. Near
the head of a dale below Sleights, is Newton-house,
built by the late Jonas Brown, esq. On an obelisk
near the house is a Latin inscription, to commemorate
his industry and perseverance, in converting wild
moors into pleasure-grounds.
Besides the manufacture of alum, the tedious pro-
cess of which is too long for this work, the coal-pits,
the lime-works, freestone quarries, and the manu-
factories of Roman cement, Prussian blue, paper, and
oil, with the tan-yards, can only be enumerated. The
fisheries on the const are also an important source of
wealth and sustenance to the inhabitants; and there
are at present 28 five-men boats employed on this
coast, and the number of cobles belonging to the
three great fishing towns on the coast, are 140.
These are attached to the large boats, and among
these are some lobster boats, used near the shore for
catching lobsters : fishing with nets is rarely practised
on this coast, except in taking herrings and mackarel.
Besides the new streets which have been added to
Whitby since 1817, a splendid house has been erected
by Edward Chapman, esq. in the vacant space in the
middle of the New-buildings. Three elegant houses
have been added to Bagdale, by Mr. Michael Teas-
dale, and a very handsome house, Clairmont-lodge,
has been built at High Stakesby, by the Rev. J. T.
Holloway, A. M. who receives a limited number of
pupils. All these buildings are of stone.
The guns belonging to the batteries have been dis-
mounted since the year 1816, and laid up in the store-
house.
R. Campion, esq. has constructed a large dry-dock
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 295
in tlie Hiip-yard beyond Spital-bridge, in digging of
which several oak trees were discovered at a great
depth from the surface ; one of them measured above
20 feet long, and 2 feet in diameter. A most inte-
resting crocodile's head, having the two sockets for the
eyes very distinct, has also been found near Whitby,
and is now in possession of Thomas liinderwell, esq,
of Scarborough.
Whitby is noted for the great quantity of rocks
close to the town, called the Ammonite, or Snake
Stones, which are found in the scar or scair, between
high and low water-mark.
Tliis scar or rock is formed by a stratum of alu-
rnine, nearly level with the surface of the ocean.
Tlifi snakes are of two sorts, round bodied, fluted or
inflated, or fiat bodied, ridged on the backs, and pit-
ted on the sides. The former are most numerous and
beautiful. The spiral convolutions are from one to
six or seven inches in diameter. The bivalves, tro-
chisae, and petrified wood, are also found in great
abundance. The wood before it acquires hardness by
drying, will burn freely with a bright flame. Dr.
Woodward dug up a petrified human arm. In the
year 1743, a complete human skeleton was found; in
1758, that of a crocodile; in 1762, that of a horn,
and about the same time a live toad. About the year
1750, a complete ossification of part of a human ske-
leton, consisting of three ribs, with the llesh between
and within them, was taken up by a gentleman bath-
ing in the sea on the north side of the pier.
The foot of these clifts or scars is washed by the
waves at high water, and the sea retires at low water,
leaving a dry shore of considerable breadth.
The shore here is a hard, smooth, flat rock, called
by the inhabitants the scar; and this is, in a manner,
overspread with loose, ragged stones, scattered about
in great disorder aiid confusion.
As fishing was the original employment of the inha-
bitants of this place, so there is abundance of fish
caught, and exclusive of what is cured, the pannier?
296 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
men dispose of great quantities of fresh fish through
all the places round about, to near 100 miles distance.
The coasting-trade of Whitby, in time of peace, has
been very large; the exports are butter, fish, hams,
tallow, alum, &:c. About 6000 barrels of this butter
come yearly to London, and 500 barrels of fish to
the same market. On the other hand they import
1000 ton of lime from Scarborough, and many thou-
sand chaldron of coals for the use of the alum works,
&c. besides a multitude of useful commodities from
thence; sending thither usually between 40 and 50
vessels a year.
They have, in common with the rest of the ports
upon the coasts, a considerable share in the coal
trade ; and in time of war are generally much engaged
in letting out their shipping for the transport service.
What they import chiefly arc rice, salt, iron, tim-
ber, hemp, pitch, tar, turpentine, and other bulky
commodities for their ship-building.
Exclusive of private agreements among merchants,
and owners of ships, they have three insurance com-
panies, to indemnify each other from losses, by sea,
fire, or vrar; which have excellent effects, and keep
up a spirit of industry and enterprize, by securing in-
dividuals from the consequence of hazardous specula-
tions; which is a point of great importance to a place
like this, and contributes to the raising many compe-
tent fortunes, instead of a very few large ones.
The following melancholy event took place in De-
cember, 1787. The eastern extremity of the town is
situated on a strata of alum-rock and free-stone, co-
vered with a loose soil, that hath gradually accumu-
lated to the depth of fourteen feet, by lapses in wet
seasons from an high and steep cliff, running parallel
to, and at a small distance from, the edge of the pre-
cipice next the sea. This had imperceptibly formed
an esplanade, 300 yards long, and 80 in breadth; on
which, in the year 1761, the foundations of a regular
street were laid. The buildings rapidly increased to
the auraber of 130, containing above 1000 inhabi-
TOPOGRAPHICAL LF.SCRIPTIOX. 297
tants. On the north-east point of this plain, stood a
three gun battery, part of which in 1785 sHtling into
the sea, the cannon were removed; at the same time,
a narrow deep chasm of considerable length was ob-
served to run behind the houses, on a line with the
base of the high clitf. Into this aperture, the rain
water entering to co-operate with innumerable quick
springs below, the seeds of destruction, although
slightly observed, were diffusely sown, and prepared
those, not so sanguine in their hopes as the poor peo-
ple interested, to expect stich a terrible catastrophe as
happened on the 24th of December.
At midnight, a strong new built quay, supporting
a pile of buildings, 80 feet above the margin of the
sea, unable to sustain the pressure of the earth above,
menaced approaching danger. The people had hardly
time to escape with their clothes, before it bowed and
fell with a thundering crash, followed by large masses
of earth intermixed with stones of three to six tons in
weight. Five houses more shared the same fate, torn
from others which were left impending in different in-
clinations over the tremendous precipice. Next morn-
ing presented a most affecting scene; buildings part-
ing from their adjoining ones, forming rents from their
roofs to the foundations several feet wide; others
partly gone, leaving their unsupported walls and hang-
ing rafters to follow; and, to add to this distress,
weighty portions of earth and stones began to descend
from the high cliff upon the house situated at its foot.
It was now dangerous to advance near, the back
buildings were soon buried, and the fronts impelled
towards the street, overhanging their bases, and seem-
ing to threaten the acceleration of those on the oppo-
site side over the wasting rock. Upon the high cliff
about thirty yards from its extremity, stands the massy
old church, founded eleven hundred years since, by
one of the Northumbrian kings; this venerable pile
appeared in imminent danger, as the ground wns ob-
served to sink at ten yards distance from its tower.
Had this part of the church-yard given way, a body
298 NOllTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
of earth, whose surface contained above two acres,
must inevitably have overwliehned the remaining; build-
ings in Henrietta-street. But this view, although
awful, was little, compared with the atfectinc; excla-
mations of above 200 poor people, who escaped half-
naked, with a scanty portion of their goods from the
general wreck. The feeling heart will easily imagine
how distressing the appearance of numbers of the sick
and dying must be, carried by their friends, perhaps,
to expire in the first hospitable place that would afford
them shelter. One hundred and ninety-six families
became destitute, in this inclement season, of house,
fire, or food. The doors of the humane were thrown
open, and every comfort administered. One person,
whose rental amounted to one hundred pounds an-
nually, could not discover the place on which his
property stood.
Two miles north-west from Whitby is Mulorave
Castle, the seat of Lord Mulgrave. Near the castle,
on a hill, is a heap of stones, called Waddesgrave,
supposed by the common people to be the grave of a
giant who built the castle.
The ancient castle of Mulgrave having been garri-
soned by the king's troops, during the Civil Wars in
the reign of Charles the First, was afterwards disman-
tled. It is seated on an eminence, the steep declivi-
ties of which are covered with wood, and being
strongly fortified by nature, according to the feudal
times, was eligiby situated for a baronial mansion.
The present seat, which also bears the name of Mul-
grave Castle, is at a small distance from the ancient
building. Tho views are romantic, and the ground
declining to the south-east, opens a fine prospect to
the sea. Whitby pier, and the ships coming out of
the harbour, the venerable ruins of the abbey appear-
ing high above the horizon, and the black promon-
tory of Saltwick, contrasted with the white foaming
billows at its foot, compose altogether a scene equally
picturesque and interesting. To the south-west is a
charming view for some miles over lawns and woods,
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPHOK. 290
agreeably intermixed; and imagination can scarcely
conceive any thing more delightful than tlie different
vistas and serpentine roads.
Two miles west from Whitby is Dunesley, from
which is a Roman road for many miles over the moors
to York, called Wade's Causeway.
Five miles west from Whitby is Eskdale Chapel,
built on the spot where a hermit was murdered.
Eskdale Chapel stands in a deep dell, about eighty
yards south of the river Esk. It measures only about
thirty-five feet in length, and seventeen in breadth ;
and seems to have been remarkably plain, and had
only an earthen floor. It is mentioned in the Whitby
Chronicle as early as the year 1224; but nothing is
there said of the founder. According to tradition, the
hermitage falling to decay, this chapel was erected
by the descendants of some of the parties concerned.
After the Reformation, it served for a parochial chapel
to the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages; but
growing ruinous, a new chapel has been lately built
at some distance, to which the seats and other furni-
ture have been removed; and the old building, by di-
rection of the bishop, as it is said, has been thatched
and walled up, to prevent its being prophaned by any
improper uses.
A priory of monks was founded in the beginning of
the reign of King John, in Eskdale, cell to the abbey
of Grandmont in Normandy, by Joanna, wife of Ro-
bert Turnham : it was afterwards made denizen, and
. called Grossmont, or Grandmont. It was given at
the general suppression to Edward Wright.
Pickering is an ancient market-town belonging to
the Duchy of Lancaster, situated on the mountainous
district of Blackmoor. It is said to have been built
270 years before Christ, by Penducus, a king of the
Britons, who was buried here. The ruins of the cas-
tle are still to be seen. Lcland, in his Itinerary, gives
the following description of this place.
'* The town of Pykering is large, but not well com-
300 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
piict together. The greatest part of it, with the paroch
churcli and castle, is on the south-cast part of the
broke running through the town, and standith on a
great shity hille. I'lie other part of the town is not so
bigge as this. In the church I saw 2 or S tombs of
the Bruses, one with his wife in a chapel on the soutli
side of the choir, and he liad a garland about his hel-
met: another in a chapel under an arch on the north
side of the body of the choir, and there is a chantry
bearing his name. 'I'he castle standeth on the brow
of a hill in an end of the town, not far from the parish
church."
Pickering is now a long straggling place, and con-
tains only about 2000 inhabitants, but is pleasantly
situated on an eminence at the bottom of which runs
a brook called Pickering-beck. The church is an an-
cient and spacious building, with a lofty spire. Here
is a weekly market on Mondays. Here was formerly
Bruse's-hall.
KiRKBY Moou-siDE is a small market-town, eight
miles west of Pickering, containing about 1 100 inha-
bitants. The market is on Wednesday. At this place
George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, after liax ing
by the most extravagant dissipation squandered away
his immense patrimonial inheritance, died on the 17th
day of April, 1687, in extreme indigence. The pa-
rish register is literally as follows:
BURIALS.
1687. April 17th. George Vilaus, Lord Dooke of
Bookingham.
The house in which he died is in the market-place,
and is now occupied by a respectable family of the
name of Atkinson. The Duke was about sixty years
of age when he died, and the room, a common cham-
ber with a deal floor, is still shewn to the curious. —
There is no ground for. supposing this house to have
been an inn, as represented in the following lines by
Pope, though no person knows even in what part of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPIION. 301
the church-yard this unfortunate nobleman uas bu-
ried.
In the worst inn's worst room, with mat half hung,
The floor of plaister, and the walls of dung,
On once a flock bed, but repair'd with straw,
With tape-tied curtains, never meant to draw,
The George-and-garter dangling from the bed,
Where tawdry yellow strove with dirty red,
Great Villiers lies ! — Alas ! how chang'd from him
That life of pleasure, and that soul of whimi
Gallant and gay in Cliefden's proud alcove,
The bower of wanton Shrewsbury and love;
Or just as gay, at council, in a ring
Of mimick'd statesmen, and their merry king.
No wit to flatter left of all his store,
No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.
There victor of his health, of fortune, friends,
And fame, the lord of useless thousands ends.
About a mile west of Kirkby Moor-side, so called
from its vicinity to Black-moor, stands Kirkdale
church, at the southern extremity of the vale. This
is a place of some importance on account of its anti-
quity, and very ancient Saxon inscription. The si-
tuation of the church is thus described by Mr. Brooke,
of the Herald's College, F.S.A. in a letter to Mr.
Gough, read at the Society of Antiquaries, January
16, 1777 : — " The situation of Kirkdale church (says
he), is extremely beautiful and romantic, though the
building itself makes but a mean appearance, having
little worth observation, except the inscription, either
externally or within. It is situated in a fruitful vale,
surrounded with hanging woods, and watered with
a brook : the w hole secluded from the world, being
far removed from any inhabitants, and well adapted
to give us an idea of the wisdom and piety of our
Saxon ancestors, in chusing for such a purpose a si-
tuation so well calculated to inspire with devotion."
The inscription is over the south door, on a stone,
stveu IJect by two, and is as follows, viz,
Dd
302 ^•OIlTH AND LAST RIDINGS.
Onn, GaniursSuna, bohte Sanctus Gregorius Minster
thoune hit xcus al lo brocan Sf to Falun. Chehitle &•
Man ncican from groundes Christe Sf Sanctis Grego-
rius in Eadzvard dagum cug in Tosti dagujii Earl.
i. e. " Orm, Gamul's son, bought St. Gregory's
church, when it was all ruined and fallen down. Che-
hitle and others renewed it from the ground to Christ
and St. Gregory in Edward's days, the king, and Tos-
ti's days the earl."
Under the dial is:
And Hay ward me wroht Brand Pr$
This is dages Sa;l meria
To Sunna tilliim Wenteres.
I. e. And Ilawarth me made and Brand the priest.
This is a draft exhibiting the time of day,
While the sun is passing to and from the
Winter Solstice.
According to Mr. Gough, the date of this inscrip-
tion must be before Tosti Earl of Northumberland,
and 4tii son of Goodwin Earl of Kent, was slain at
Stamford bridge, near York, 1066, and between 1056
and 1065. The architecture of the church is Ante-
Normanic. Orm had large possessions in Kirkby in
the North Riding, Rydale wapentake, which entitled
him to the rank of Thane, and he married Etheldrith,
one of the five daughters of the Earl of Northumber-
land. William the Conqueror gave his estates to Hugh
Fitz-Baldin. They were afterwards possessed by Ro-
ger de Estoteville and Nigil de Albini, the Lords Wake
and Latimer.
About four miles north-east of Kirkby Moor-side,
nnd at the edge of the moors, is a village called Les-
TiNGHAM, where was formerly a Benedictine monas-
tery, founded by Cedde or Chad, bishop of the East
Saxons or London, about the year 648. The church
is very ancient and large, considering the obscure
place in which it stands, and has probably belonged
to or been part of the monastery.
Helmsley, called Hclmsly-Blackmoor, about five
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOX. 303
miles south-west froin Kivkby Moor-side, is situated
in a valley called Rhidaie, on the side of the river
Hhye; the houses built of stone. A considerable
trade is carried on by the inhabitants in cottons and
linens. Here are the remains of a castle which ap-
pears to have been during the troubles of Charles I.
in a defensible state: as the Parliamentary Chronicle,
entitled, " The Burning Bush not consumed," informs
us, that Helmsley Castle, being besieged by Lord
Fairfax, a party of the royal horse advanced from
Skipton and Knaresborough to its relief; but being
repulsed, November 12, and a quantity of meal, salt,
and other provisions for the castle, taken about the
20th November, 1644, it surrendered upon articles,
with all the ordnance, arms, stores, and ammunition,
except what the garrison marched out with, according
to agreement. In it were about 200 men, nine pieces
of ordnance, 300 musquets and pikes, six barrels of
powder, with a great deal of money, plate, and other
plunder.
Buncombe Park, the beautiful seat of Charles
Slingsby Duncombe, esq. is situated one mile west
from the town of Helmsley.
One mile furtlier west, are the remains of Rieval, or
RiEVAULX Abbey, founded for Cistertians, by Wal-
ter Espee, in the year 1131: this noble vestige of an-
tiquity is situated at the distance of about three miles
from Duncombe Park. Its situation is thus described,
and its history related in Burton's Monasticon :
**In the reign of King Henry the First, flourished
St. Bernard, Abbot of Clareval; a man full of devo-
tion, and chief of many monks, some of whom he sent
into England about A. D. 1128, the twenty-eighth of
Henry the First, who were honourably received by
both king and kingdom; and particularly by Sir Wal-
ter UEspe, who, about A. D. 1131, allotted to some
of them a solitary place in Blakemore, near Hamelac,
now Helmsley, surrounded by steep hills, and covered
with wood and ling, near the angles of three different
vales, with each a rivulet running throuch them, that
Dd 2
304 NORTH AND EAST RfDINGS.
passing by where the abbey was built, being called
Hie, whence this vale took its name; and this reli-
gious house was thence called the Abbey of Rie-val.
The descent of this valley reaches chiefly from north
to south. Here William, the first abbot, one of those
monks sent by St. Bernard, a man of great virtue and
excellent memory, began the building of the monas-
tery, dedicating it to the V'irgin Mary; which the said
Walter L'Espe amply endowed.
"Pope Alexander the Third, who reigned from
A. D. 1159 to 1131, by his bull, dated A.^D. IIGO,
took this monastery into his immediate protection,
enjoining that the Cistertian order should there con-
tinue for ever, confirming to them all their possessions,
many of which are there specified (being all, I sup-
pose, which at that time had been given to them) and
exempted them from paying tythes; forbidding all
persons to detain any of the brethren of the house;
charging all bishops not to interdict them, unless for
some notorious offence; allowing them to perform the
divine office in private, although the county should
happen to be under an interdict : declaring any per-
son excommunicate who should presume to steal any
thing o.ut of their lands, or take any man thence; and
confirming all the immunities granted to them by King
Henry the First and Henry the Second.
" Pope Alexander the Fourth, who reigned from
A. D. 1254 to liJGl, confirmed their exemption from
tythes; explaining, that such exemption extended also
to the tythes of such newly-cultivated ground (decimas
de novalibus) as they should occupy, or be at the ex-
pence of improving.
" At the Dissolution, here were 110 fodder of lead,
516 ounces of plate, and five bells.
" The valuation, in the twenty-sixth of Henry the
Eighth, A. D. 1534, according to Dugdale, amounted
to the sum of 278/. 10s. Qd. per annum. According
to Speed, o51/. 14s. 6d. At the surrender here were
twenty-three monks and the abbot.
" The site was granted, in exchange for other Innds,
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 305
in the thirtieth of Henry tlic Eighth, 1538, to Thomas,
Earl of Rutland, a descendant of Waher L'Espe, the
founder of the abbey ; and, by Catharine, daughter
and heir of Roger, Earl of Rutland (by EHzabeth,
daughter and heir of the famous Sir Philip Sydney)
married to George Villars, Duke of Buckingham, who,
in her right, became possessed hereof; and his son,
the second Duke of Buckingham, sold it to Sir Charles
Duncombe, knight." Burton adds, that Thomas Dun-
combe, esq. grand nephew of Sir Charles, and M. P.
for Morpeth, made " one of the finest terraces in Eng-
land, just upon the brink of the hill that overlooks
the ruins of the abbey, and a temple at each end of
the walk ; from whence, there is a most beautiful view
of the ruins almost perpendicularly underneath."
The ruins, yet standing, are noble, (particularly an
arched gateway of Gothic architecture) and prove the
abbey to have been of great extent. The situation is
not to be surpassed in picturesque beauty. At a lit-
tle distance from the abbey, are the gardener's apart-
ments, from whence there is a steep and winding path,
ascending to a charming terrace, which overlooks the
ruins, and commands the most beautiful and diversi-
fied prospects. At one end is an elegant paviUon or-
namented with paintings, at the other, a handsome
circular temple, whence appears an extensive valley,
richly adorned with wood and water. The north side
of the terrace is defended with a thick plantation of
firs; and the slopes are covered with a variety of trees
and shrubs. Indeed the scenery is altogether fasci-
nating."
In the pavilion are the following paintings: " Apollo
riding in the chariot of the Sun, drawn by tour horses ;
he is attended by the Muses, and preceded by the
goddess Aurora. Hero, a beautiful woman of Sestos,
priestess of Venus. Andromeda chained to a rock,
and exposed naked to be devoured by a sea monster.
Ariadne, daughter of Minos, king of Crete. Hercules
and Dejanira. Ju})iter, in the form of a white bull,
swimming over the sea with Europa on his back.
D d 3
306 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
Venus and V^ulcan; on one side are three Nereides,
on the other Triton blowing a trumpet made of a sea-
sheli ; a Cupid is pointing a dart at Vulcan's breast,
another has a quiver of arrows, and a third carries a
flaming torch. Pan fighting with Cupid; his pipe, of
unequal reeds, is suspended on one tree, and Cupid's
bow and quiver on the other. Endymion visited by
Diana in a cave; Endymion's dog lies under his knee ;
and the goddess's hounds are standing by; in the
back ground are two Cupids with doves, one of which
is escaped. The whole painted by Burnici, who came
from Italy for that purpose." Hindervvell's Hist. Scar-
borough, p. 344.
At Gilling, about five miles from Helmsley, there is
an ancient castle, the seat of the family of Fairfax,
Three miles east from Gilling is Hovingham, anciently
the seat of the great Roger de Mowbray. It has since
belonged to the VVorsley family. In the gardens of
Thomas Worsley, esq. in 1745, was discovered a Ro-
man hypocaust, and in another place, a small tesse-
lated pavement. There were also found, in making
the gardens, considerable remains of buildings, evi-
dently proving the spot to have been the site of a
Roman villa.
Mr. Cough thinks it probable that a vicinal way
went from Maltoa (the Camalodunium of Ptolemy),
through this village, near Earsley-moor, through
Easingvvold, Alne, and over the river Ure, at Ald-
wark Ferry, to Aldborough. There are also two vil-
lages, called Burton-on-the-Street and Jppleton-on-
the-Streetf on the line of this road. Hovingham,
though flat in its ow n situation, has a delightful hilly
country round it, and a rill of excellent water runs
through the village, and gardens, above-mentioned.
The bath was twelve feet by eleven, lined with a
plaister composed of various hard ingredients. At
one corner a leaden pipe carried off the water into a
drain. The hypocaust, adjacent to the -west side of
it, whose pillars, one of which was 21 feet high, of
bricks nine inches square, the rest, of smaller dimen-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 307
sions, supported a tesselated floor, while hollow bricks,
placed round tlie outside pillars, conveyed the hot air
into the sweating-rooms and circular V^aporarium.
About 250 feet west from the bath was another tes-
selated pavement, six feet by eight ; and near the
bath were found coins of various Roman emperors,
from Antoninus Pius to Constantine.
The residue of the country from hence to York,
Hatfield Hall excepted, we have already described
in a former journey. This is at present the seat of Sir
John Kaye, and is situated about five miles from
Wakefield, and ten from Leeds. Its exterior resem-
bles the modern Gothic.
Journey from Bozces to Boroughbridge ; through
Catierick.
Bowes is situated on the edge of Stanemore, near
the north point of the county, in that part of it called
Richmondshire, on the banks of the river Greta, and
consists principally of one street, nearly three quarters
of a mile long from east to west.
Bowes, though now a very inconsiderable place,
was once a Roman station, and in a late enclosure of
the common lands of the parish, an ancient aqueduct
was discovered, which had conveyed water from a
place called Levar or Levy-Pool, near two miles
distant from the castle, which was sufficient at once
to supply the garrison with fresh water, and also the
bath.
A stone, with an inscription on it dedicatory to the
Emperor ^^drian, long served as a communion-table
in the parish church.
At the time of the Conquest there were the remains
of a town here, that had been destroyed by fire. It
then belonged to the Earls of Bretagne and Richmond.
The castle, the walls of which still remain, was
erected by Alan, first Earl of Richmond, in the time
of William the Conqueror, upon the site of the Roman
fortification, near the old High-street, which led from
the Cataractonicumj another Roman station. This
308 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
castle is 53 feet high, built of hewn stone of excellent
workmanship, forming a square of equal sides, 81 feet
each. The windows are irregular, and the walls,
which are cemented with lime, mixed with small
flints, are near five feet in thickness ; it is now much
defaced, the outward casing being stripped off in
many places. It is situated on the brow of a hill,
precipitously declining to the southward, at the foot
of which runs the river Greta; it is surrounded by a
deep ditch, beyond which, on the southern side, is an
open area, a platform extending from the castle moat
ninety paces, and from east to west 100 paces. On
examination this is indisputably proved to be the
remains of the Roman station,' the vallum having
formed a strong outwork to the ca&tle, of great height
towards the south.
About two miles from Bowes is a singular curiosity,
called God's-bridge, being a natural bridge of lime-
stone rock, where, through a rude arch, sixteen feet
in the span, the river Greta precipitates its waters;
the way formed on the crown of this rock is about
twenty feet wide, and is the common carriage-road
over the river.
About five miles from Bowes is Rokeby Hall, a
beautiful modern building, in the Italian style, of
veined freestone, erected by Sir Thomas Robinson.
This place is extremely beautiful, and well desernng
the particular notice of the traveller of taste.
Greta Bridge, is a small village, taking its name
from a bridge of one arch over the river Greta, which
soon after runs into the Tees.
About a mile and a half north from Rokeby-Hall,
are the venerable remains of Athelstan Abbey, si-
tuated on an eminence near the river Tees. The
walls are much disunited, and just serve to distinguish
that their original form was a cross. The east window
remains perfect.
Catterick is a place of great antiquity, and either
the site or very nearly so ot a Roman station. Mr.
Gough says the Roman town was in the fields of
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCIUPTION. 309
Thornborough House, about half a mile from Cat-
terick-bridge, and on the south side of i\ie river. A
great many coins and other Roman remains have been
discovered here.
About three miles from Catterick, is Horxby
Castle, a seat of the Duke of Leeds. Four miles
from hence is Bedale, a small market-town, situate
on a rivulet that runs into the river Swale, near
Galenby. This place is famous for the breed of
horses. The market is on Tuesday.
About six miles west from Bedale is Middllham,
a small town, formerly supported by its market, but
this has very much declined of late. An open square,
forming a large market-place, is the principal part uf
the town. It is situated on the side of a hill, above
which appears its most striking feature, the remains
of its once-magnificent castle.
Near Coverbridge is Coveriiam or Corham, where
there was formerly an abbey of Premonstratetian ca-
nons, founded by Radulph, son of the Earl of Rich-
mond, about the middle of the thirteenth century. The
ruins of the abbey are scattered about in Coverdale,
so called from the river, in a spot dreary and uncom-
fortable: a house has been built of the materials, and
most of the neighbouring cottages appear decorated
with spoils from this or some other religious house.
The remains of Jervaulx, or Jervoix Abbey, are
situated upon the southern side of the river Yore.
Masham, about seven miles south-east from Mid-
dleham, has a handsome church, and a fine spire. It
is a small manufacturing town.
At Tanfield, two miles sonth from Masham, near
the church, is an ancient castle, which in early times
belonged to the family of Fitzhugh. In the eighth of
King Edward II. John, Lord Marmion, had licence
from the king to make a castle of his house, called
the Hermitage, situated in Tanfield Wood, which
castle seems to be a distinct building from that near
the church. Respecting the building or demolition
of the castle, little or nothing can be collected, either
310 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
trom historical records or tradition. The latter indeed
says, that when Fairfield Castle was destroyed, the
materials were purchased by several of the surround-
ing gentry, and the Earl of Exeter's house at Shape,
and the seat of the Wandisfords, at Kirklington, were
built with them. The part now standing appears to
have been a gate-house.
Hackfall is about three miles from Masham.
About four miles south from Masham is West
Tanfield, of which Leland gives the following de-
scription in his Itinerary : " Great Tanfeld^ where is
a castle on a banke longith to Lord Parrs, and stond-
ith on Ure. Tanfelde Castel longid to the Lord
Marmion, and so came to the Fitzhughs.
" The tounlet of West Tanfeld, standith on a
diving ground hard by Ure, a river of colowr for the
next part of Soden water, by reason of the colowr
and the morish nature of the soile of Weneedale,
from whens it cometh. In the church of West Tan-
feld be divers tombes in a chappelle on the north side
of the church, of the Marraions, whereof one is in an
arch of the wauUe, and that seemeth most auntient.
Then lyith ther alane a ladye with the apparel of a
vowes, and anothe layde with a crownet on her hedde.
Then is ther an high tomb of alabaster in the
middle of the chapel, wher, as I hard say, lyith one
Lorde John Marmion. And in the south side of the
chapel is another tombeofthe Marmions buried alone.
Ther is a master and two cantuaria priests at West
Tanfelde of the foundation of one of the Marmions,
and there is another centaurie besides these. The
castelle of Tanfelde, or rather, as it is now a mean
manor place, standith hard on the ripe of Ure, wher
I saw no notable building, but a faire tourid gate-
house, and a hall of squared stone."
This gate still remains at the west end of the
church-yard. But Leland says, *' or ever he cam to
West Tanfelde he passed by fery for lak of bridge."
There is now a stone bridge over the river just at the
entrance into the town.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 311
From hence to Boroughbridge nothing particular
occurs which we have not alread)' noticed in a former
journey.
Journey from Howden to Market AVeighton.
How DEN is a large market-town, situated on the
north side of the Ouse, and is famous for its horse-
fairs in July and October.
Here was formerly a collegiate church, of five pre-
bendaries. The church is an ancient building, sup-
posed to have been erected about the year 1100.
Mr. Pennant says, " Howden, a small town, is dis-
tinguished by the ruin of its fine church, in form of a
cross, length 251 feet, transept 100 feet, east part
quite a ruin ; its windows quite superb and elegant,
arches pointed, columns adorned with fluting between.
Tracery of side windows various. The entrance to
the east part of the centre three doors well orna-
mented, two niches each side the chief. A great
altar-tomb against a pillar, with several arms, bene-
factors, &c. A pain-stone, Hie jacet Gwillelmus
Maddi. A coffin lid, a cross on it, sides inscribed —
Hie requiescunt visecra Walteri Skirlaw, &c. He is
said to have built the steeple, at least the upper part of
it, 1390. The Chapter-house is a beautiful octagon,
the tracery of the windows light and fine ; the inside
has 30 stalls, each under a Gothic arch ; both those
and the back of the stalls enriched with beautiful
sculpture; over the door two rows of six niches each.
The roof fell in, through neglect, twenty years ago. Be-
tween the windows, on the outside, are several shields
of arms. In the side chapel, called Metham's Altar,
is a tomb beneath an enriched Gothic arch. On the
cross is a coal of arms; on the floor is a fine tomb of
a knight cross-legged, a shield, a mantle, his neck
and head bare, short hair; mourners and religious in
niches round the tomb, and one person with a falcon.
A lady in a loose gown, cross-legged ; another cross-
legged knight, his head, cheeks, and neck, guarded
with chain armour sticking quite close, a fillet
312 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
round his head, his breast set with roses. The
mansion-house ot" the Bishops of Durham, who are
lords of the manor, is near the east-end of the church,
once a large pile, some part demolished ; several arms
here. A great vault, perhaps a cloister, is still stand-
ing ; beliind the house is a large square piece of land,
moated round ; in it is a canal and several trees, pos-
sibly once the garden and orchard."
Roger of Hovedon, or Hovvden, the historian, was
a native of this town.
Four miles north-west from Howden is Hemings-
BOROUGH, once a market-town. The church is one of
the handsomest in the county, and was made colle-
giate by the prior and monks of Durham in the year
14'26, for a provost, three prebendaries, &c.
Four miles north-west from Howden is Wkessle
Castle, anciently belonging to the Earls of Nor-
thumberland. This relic of feudal grandeur is situated
about four miles north-west from Howden, on a gently
rising ground, witliin two hundred yards of the east
bank of the Derwent, and elevated above that river
just as much as is sufficient to be secure from the
inundations, which frequently cover the adjoining
marshes to a very considerable extent. The prospects
wliich the towers of this once magnificent castle could
command are wholly unpicturesque, as the surround-
ing country, though mostly fertile, presents not the
least variety of surface.
It appears from the Doomsday-book that Gilbert
Tyson had part of the manor of VVressle; but from
the time of that survey we find no mention of this
place till the year 1315, the ninth of Edward II. when
it is marked in the record called "Nomina Villarum"
as one of the lordships of William de Percy. The
time when the castle was built is not precisely ascer-
tained ; butLeland ascribes its foundation to Thomas
Percy Earl of Worcester, in the time of Richard II.,
and Mr. Savage thinks that the aera may be fixed to
some part of the period between the years 1380 and
1390, when that nobleman; having grown into favour
lurOGRATMIICAL DE:;CRIP'I ION . 313
With tlje king, and obtained a considerable share in
the direction of pubUc affairs, might probably erect
this monument of his greatness. This earJ, with his
nephew, Henry Hotspur, son of Henry Percy Earl of
Northumberland, rebelling against King Henry IV,
was taken prisoner at the battle of Shrewsbury,
A.D. 1403, and was beheaded the next day; and in
consequence of that event his estates became forfeited
to the crown. The king, after retaining Wressle some
time in his own hands, gave it to his son John Duke
of Bedford, who died possessed of it in the year 1434,
the twelfth of Henry VI. and left it to that king,
his nephew and heir. The inhabitants of Wressle
have a current tradition, that all the men capable of
bearing arms in that parish were with the Earl of
Northumberland at the battle of Chevy Chace, where
most of them were slain. Dr. Percy says that the
first Earl of Northumberland fought the battle of
Chevy Chace; but the well-known song of that name
has been embellished with several circumstances re-
lating to the battle of Otterburn.
Thomas Percy, knight, son of Henry Percy second
Earl of Northumberland, was created baron Egremont,
on 20lh Nov. 1449; and in the year 1457 he obtained
a grant of the castle and lordship of Wressle to hold
during his life. It is probable that the next possessor
was ISi evil Lord Montague, brother of the famous Earl
of Warwick, who being created Earl of Northumber-
land, by king Edward IV. in the year 1463, had all the
estates of the Percys granted to him. But in 1469
Edward revoked that grant, and restored Henry Percy,
the fourth Earl of Northumberland, to the honours and
estates of his ancestors. This castle and manor conti-
nued in the Percy family till the death of Josceline, the
eleventh Earl of Northumberland, who dying May 21,
1670, without issue male, the title of Earl of Northum-
berland became extinct ; but the barony of Percy de-
scended to his daughter tlie lady flli/abeth Percy, who
in 1682 married Charles Seymour Duke of Somerset,
i: e
oii NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
and transmitted to that family a very rich inheritance,
in which was included the lordship of Wressle. The
Seymours continued lords of this place till the year
1750, when the Duke of Somerset dying, his estates
were separated j those which came by the lady Percy
being divided between Sir Hugh Smithson, baronet,
who married the duke's daughter, and succeeded to
the title of Northumberland, and Sir Charles Wind-
ham, baronet, his grace's nephew, who succeeded to
the title of Earl of Egremont. To this nobleman fell
the Yorkshire estates of the Percys, among which
were the lordship and castle of Wressle ; and his son,
the present Earl of Egremont, is now the proprietoi-.
Leland describes Wressle castle as built of very
large squared stones, a great part of which was sup-
posed to have been brought out of France. The
whole building was a quadrangle with five towers, one
at each corner, and the fifth over the gateway. He
says that it was moated round on three sides, but
without any ditch on the fourth, by which was the
entrance; and he considers it as one of the most su-
perb houses to the north of the Trent. It also ap-
pears that its noble possessors paid some attention to
letters. For Leland in his description says, "One
thing I likid exceedingly ; yn one of the Toures ther
was a study called Paradise, wher was a closet in the
middle of eight squares latisid aboute, and at the top
of every square was a desk ledgid to set bookes on
books on cofers within them ; and this semid as joined
hard to the toppe of the closette, and yet by pulling
one or al wolde cum down briste highte in rabbettes
and serve for desks to lay bookes on. The garde robe
yn the castelle was exceedingly fair. And so wer the
gardens within the mote and the orchardes withowt.
And in the orchardes were mountes " Opere topiario"
writhen about with degrees like turninges of cockle
shells to cum to the top withowt payn. The river of
Darwent rennith almost harde by the castelle, and
aboute a mile lower uoith into the Owse. This ryver
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 315
at greate raynes ragltb, and overfloweth mucli of the
ground thereaboutes being loue medowes. There is
a park harde by the castelle."
In this castle the Earls of Northumberland displayed
a magnificence resembling, and scarcely inferior to
that of the royal court. Their household was esta-
blished on the same plan : their officers bore the same
titles, and their warrants ran in the same style. AW
the chief officers of the Earl of Northumberland's
household, such as the comptrollers, clerks of the
kitchen, chamberlain, treasurer, &c. were gentlemen
both by birth and office; and the table at which they
dined was called the knight's board. 'I'he number of
priests who were kept in this household were not
fewer than eleven, at the head of whom was a doctor
or bachelor of divinity ; and there was also a com-
plete establishment of singers, choristers, &:c. for the
service of the chapel. The household book of the
Percys exhibits a curious display of the magnificence
of our ancient nobility; and as the number of the
Earl of Northumberland's servants, who were in ordi-
nary waiting at his lordship's castles of Wressle and
Leckonfield, shew the grandeur of the feudal times,
we shall give the following list from Mr. Savage's ex-
tracts.
"Gentlemen who wait before noon, six; yeomen
and grooms of the chamber who wait before noon,
ten; yeomen officers, four; groom off.cers, four; ser-
vants to wait in the great chamber in the morning
from six till ten o'clock, twenty; gentlemen to wait
in the afternoon, seven; yeomen of the chamber, yeo-
men waiters, and grooms of the chamber to wait in
tlie afternoon, seven ; yeomen officers of the house-
hold to wait in the afternoon, four; gentlemen to
wait after supper, thirteen ; yeomen of the chamber,
yeomen waiters and groom officers and grooms of the
chamber to wait after supper, seventeen; yeomen of
the household and groom officers of the household,
which shall not attend after supper, eight ; chaplains
and priests, eleven; gentlemen and children of the
E e 2
316 NUUTII AND EAST RIDINGS.
chapel attending daily at matins, lady mass, high mass,
and evening song, seventeen ; yeomen officers, groom
officers, and grooms in household, not appointed to
attend because of their otiier business which they at-
tend daily in their offices in the house, twenty-seven;
an armourer ; a groom of the chamber to the lord Percy
to wait hourly in his cliamber; a second groom for
brushing and dressing his clothes; a groom of the
chamber to his lordship's two youngest sons; a groom
of the stirrup ; a groom sumpter man, to dress the
sumpter horses and my lady's palfreys ; a groom to
dress the hobbys and nags; a groom to keep the
hounds ; a groom miliar for grinding corn for baking
and brewing; a groom porter for keeping the gates;
agroom for driving his lordship's chariot; a keeper of
the chariot horses; clerks of the household not ap-
pointed daily to attend because of making their books,
■which they are charged with to write upon hourly, seven ;
servant belonging to gentlemen in his lordship's house,
ten; servants and gentlemen's servants not appointed
to wait because of their other business, which they
attend on daily for his lordship, forty-four; in all two
hundred and twenty-nine."
The household book of the Percys is extremely
scarce ; but the whole economy of their numerous
family, the prices of the different articles of house-
keeping, and a variety of other curious particulars
illustrative of their mode of living, may be seen in
Savage's History of Wressle Castle.
The Civil War in the reign of Charles I. proved
fatal to this magnificent castle. During that unfor-
tunate contest it was garrisoned by the Parliamenta-
rians; and though the Earl of Northumberland had
espoused their cause with considerable activity, yet
the losses which he sustained from his own party, were
almost incredible. By an account taken at Michael-
mas 1646, it appeared that the damages done by the
garrison to his lordship's buildings, woods, enclosures,
&.C. with the losses arising from the non-payment of
his rents, in consequence of the contributions levied
TOPOGRAPHICAL DEi.CP.1 PTIOX. 31?
on his tenants, amounted to 42,55iL a sum more than
equivalent to 500,000/. in the present century. And
after all the zeal which the Earl of Northumberland
had shewn for their cause, an order was issued in
1650 for dismantling Wressle Castle, and rendering it
untenable, by demolishing three sides of the quadrangle
and throwing down all the battlements. It was also
required that windows of eight feet in breadth and
height, and only eight feet asunder, should be broken
out all round the remaining side, and that the de-
molition should take place before the 17th day of
May. ]n consequence of these orders, three sides of
the square which composed this castle were demolish-
ed: the south side alone, which contained some of the
principal state rooms, was left standing, to serve as a
manor-house ; but even this part was, by throwing
down the battlements, deprived of its former majestic
appearance : however, the whole south-front was the
most considerable, and contained some of the principal
state-rooms. It was flanked by two large square towers,
and these again were mounted by circular turrets of a
smaller size: upon the top of one of the turrets was
preserved the iron pan of the beacon anciently used
to alarm the country.
The chapel is now used Instead of the parish church,
which was situated about a bow-shot from the castle.
Of this one ruined end wall only remains, in which at
present hang two bells. The pulpit now stands on a
pedestal upon the great stone altar of the chapel, and
the communion is administered on a table in the
middle of the room. Wressle Castle is at present the
property of the Earl of Egremont.
It appears that after this demolition, Wressle Castle
was not long used as the mansion ol its lords. It was
occupied as a farm-house till the year 1790, when an
accidental fire, which broke out on the 19th of Fe-
bruary, completed its destruction; and the naked
walls are now the only remains of this once noble
monument.
E e 3
318 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
** Yet though deserted and in ruin grey,
The suns of morn upon thy relics stream,
And evening yields thy wall her blushing ray,
And Cynthia visits with her silver beam."
Peter Pindar.
About three miles to the north of Wressle is Bub-
with, in Doomsday-book called Bubvid, and remark-
able only for being the birth-place of Nicholas de
Bubnith, Bishop of Bath and Wells; who was one of
the English prelates that attended the Council of
Constance, where John Huss and Jerome of Prague
were condemned to the flames. This village is seated
almost close to the east bank of the Derwent, which
frequently overflows the marshes on the opposite side
to a great extent. These inundations fertilize the
rich meadows, but render the air somewhat humid.
In this parish the ratio of mortality appears to be
about one in forty-three, which marks a degree of
salubrity, inferior to that which is found in country
villages in several other situations. A bridge has
been lately built at this place over the Derwent, and
a direct turnpike road made from Selby to Market-
Weighton, which affords a great convenience to this
part of the country.
Hr.MiNGBRouGH, before noticed, is a village in the
wapentake of Ouse and Derwent, situated about four
miles nearly west from Wressle, and about six miles and
a half north-west from Howden ; is remarkable for its
church, which has a beautiful spire rising forty-two yards
above the battlements, and forming a very conspicuous
object in this low and level country. This church is
well built, having three aisles and a transept; and the
stone is all of one kind, except in part of the north
side, and west end, which are of a different sort of
grit from the rest, and are supposed to be the remains
of a Roman fort. Dr. Stukeley expressly says that
the Romans had a fort in this place; and this appears
more probable from its situation, being within little
more than 100 yards of the whole course of the Ouse,
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCrvlPTION, 319
which made here a remarkably zi^-zag and circuitous
winding, but now runs almost half a mile to the west
of the village. At Babthorpe in this parish the an-
cient family of the Bapthorpes flourished during the
space of many centuries.
Journey from Bridlington to Hull; through Great
Driffield and Beverley.
Bridlington, which is about a mile from the sea,
consists chiefly of one long street, extending along the
southern declivity of a small elevation. Towards the
north the country rises for more than a mile by a
gentle ascent. At the west end of the town are fertile
meadows and pasture grounds, and on the east is a
small plain^ extending to the sea.
At the east end of the town stood the priory,
founded by Walter de Gaunt, in the early part of
Henry I. The church of this priory, which remains,
appears to have been a noble structure. It had two
towers at the west end, and as the east end and the
transepts are also destroyed, the remaining part,
though considerable, is only a fragment of the ancient
building. Of the w-alls and buttresses nothing re-
mains except an arched gateway about 120 yards
from the body of the building to the west. A large
room above this has served as a town-hall, and the
lower part as a prison.
Bridlington has a weekly market held on Saturday,
and was formerly a considerable mart for corn. The
number of houses are 849, and the inhabitants 3741.
Bridlington Quay, to which genteel company resort
for bathing, constitutes of itself a small town, and has
a brisk and handsome appearance. The houses are
in general well built, and the principal street that
opens directly on the harbour, is remarkably broad.
The northernmost pier having an agreeable platform,
commanding a delightful view of Flamborough Head
and the bay, is of course much frequented ; and when
the wind is unfavourable for doubling Flamborough
Head, the former is often crowded with coasting vessels.
320 NOKTH AND EAST RIDINGS,
The Quay is undouLtedl}' an aizreeable healthy
place, where the resort in summer for sea-bathing is
very considerable. The mineral springs here are
reckoned efficacious for several diseases; and there
are many attractions here tor persons who have a
taste for the peaceful and sequestered scenes of life,
in preference to the gay and captivating charms of
the more fashionable watering-places.
Flamborough is a very ancient town, and was
formerly of some note ; at present it is only a large
fishing village. It stands in a hollow nearly in the
centre of the promontory, five miles from Bridlington,
and nearly at the same distance from the Quay. The
population, about seven or eight hundred, is about
lialf made up of fishermen and their families; the
other inhabitants consist of fanners' labourers, and
the necessary mechanics that are met with in all
country villages. In 1794 twenty of the fishermen
perished in a storm at sea, and there was scarcely a
family in Flamborough that had not to lament the
loss of a relative. The Flamborough fishermen chiefly
confine themselves to their own coast, and seldom
send more than four boats to the herring fishery at
Yarmouth. The new light-house is erected at the
distance of nearly a mile and a half to the eastward
of the town. The light is a revolving light, with three
faces of seven reflectors each.
Flamborough Head is certainly a magnificent ob-
ject, and one of the greatest curiosities the kingdom
can boast. The promontory on which it stands forms
a range of six miles, and is in some places nearly .'iOO
feet high. At the bottom of these limestone rocks
are a number of caverns, as the Dove-Cote, so called
from being the usual breeding place of rock pigeons ;
the Kirk-Hole, of considerable extent, and Robin
Lyth's Hole. The latter has two openings, one com-
municating with the land, the other with the sea.
The former is low and narrow ; but the darkness at
the entrance gradually disperses, and exhibits the
floor like a solid rock formed into broad steps of an
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 321
eas}' descent; and the stones at the sides are curiously
variegated. The roof is finely arched, and nearly fifty
feet high at the centre. The many projecting ledges
and fragments of suspended rocks, give it a grand and
rather an awful appearance. On approaching the
eastern extremity a noble vista is formed by its open-
ing to the sea.
In summer time these rocks are tiie rendezvous of
myriads of aquatic fowls, and they breed in these in-
accessible retreats, generally speaking, free from dan-
ger : but at the report of a gun these feathered inha-
bitants are instantly in motion ; and the eye is almost
dazzled with the waving of innumerable wings bright-
ened by the rays of the sun, whilst the ear is stunned
with the clamour of a thousand discordant notes.
At Ebberston, about half a mile to the north of the
York road, there is an elegant little stone mansion,
the property of Sir Charles Hotham, bart. taken from
the plan of a Roman villa.
About seven miles north-west from Bridlington is
HuNMANBY, two miles from Filey Bay: it stands on
a rising ground, and is sheltered by a fine wood on
the north-west. The town is built in the form of a
cross, and contains many neat houses. The market
is disused.
Humphrey Osbaldeston, esq. by building new farm-
houses, and nuiking numerous plantations, and by
embellishing the grounds contiguous to his residence,
greatly contributed to the improvement and ornament
of the estate of which he is the sole proprietor. A
sumptuous monument in the parish church, com-
memorates those of the Osbaldeston family who died
within the last century, from Willuim Osbaldeston,
esq. in 1707, down to Fountayne Osbaldeston, esq.
M. P. for Scarborough, who died June 10, 1770.
Over the central arches of the church are emblazoned
the armorial bearings, with the names of most of the
ancient lords of the place. The vicarage-house,
which stands near this editlre, has been greatly im-
proved and embellished both by buildings and planta-
322 KORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
tions, under the present incumbent, the Rev. Francis
Wrangham, M. A. F.R.S. The population of Hun-
manby has been augmented by the unusual proportion
of a fifth part, from no other assignable causes than
its enclosure, and the improvements before noticed.
Flixton is about three miles north-west of Hun-
manby. Flixton Wolds have long been famous for
the annual coursing matches held upon them.
Filey, three miles nortli-east of Hunmanby, is a
small fishing town situated upon the shore of a spa-
cious bay, in a circular form, and upwards of four
miles in length. The sands are firm and extensive,
and the beach convenient for sea-bathing. A mile to
the north of the church is a spring of mineral water,
which contains a small portion of Epsom salt, a little
iron, and some calcareous earth. A ridge, or natural
mole of rocks, is called Tiley-hridge^ which projecting
nearly half a mile into the sea, is a great protection to
the bay in tempestuous weather. At high water these
rocks are overflowed, but when low, there is a passage
along them to the other extremity, and a fine view
hence of Flamborough Head and Scarborough Castle.
In stormy weather the sea breaks here with such
violence, that the foaming waves are frequently seen
from Scarborough. The cobles at Filey are often
successful in bringing home soles, turbot, and other
fish of superior quality. A number of five-men boats
belong to this town, and are constantly employed on
their own coast, or at Yarmouth in the herring season.
KiLHAM, eight miles from Bridlington, is an ancient
market-town, situated in a pleasant and fertile valley,
at the south-east declivity of the Wolds, and very
near the flat country called Holderness. The grounds
in the parish (except an extensive portion called Swa-
thorpe, belonging to Sir Charles Hotham, bart. of
South Dalton), containing about 7000 acres, were
enclosed in the year 1772, and are chiefly appropriated
to tillage and sheep-walks. Grain and wool are the
principal commodities of the parish ; the former,
amounting to a large quantity annually, is sold to
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIOK. 323
coin-factors, and by thetn sent to London, or the
West Riding of Yorkshire. The latter is chiefly sold
to the woollen manufacturers of Leeds and Wakefield.
The town is nearly a mile and a quarter long, running
from east to west; not in one continued street, but
where the first street ends another commences a little
farther south, and runs to the western extremity.
One branch of the river Hull rises here, the water of
which is remarkably transparent and wholesome.
The church dedicated to All Saints is a very long,
strong, stone structure; has one aisle, a large chancel,
and a lofty tower ; and upon the whole, seems to
have been designed for containing a more numerous
congregation than the present population of the parish
can supply. The inhabitants retain a traditional
notion, that it has (perhaps some hundred years ago),
been far more populous and extensive than it is at
present; whicli notion seems to be favoured by the
many vestiges of buildings and sites of houses, within
various parts of the old enclosures, from one end of
the place to the other.
The Free Grammar Scliool in this town was
founded by John Lord D'Arcy, of Aston, in this
county, in the ninth year of the reign of Charles I.
with appointments for a master and usher.
During the usurpation of Cromwell, banns of mar-
riage for this and the neighbouring parishes were
published in the market-place, three several market
days, according to act of parliament, and the marriages
were solemnized before the neighbouring justices of
the peace.
In this parish there is a mineral spring, near the
road leading to Rudston, said to be efficacious in
curing certain disorders; and the vipsey or gipsey,
that after a wet autumn breaks put at a place called
Ilenpit Hole, near the road to Langtoft. The vio-
lence of this spring or spout, when it first issues out
of the ground, is said to be so great, that a man on
horseback may ride under its arched stream.
There is a place called Dane's Grave, a piece of
524 NORTH A^D EAST IlIDIKGS.
ground at the north-west extremity of the lordship,
marked with a great number of hillocks close to one
another, traditionally said to be the burying-place of
the Danes, when invading this country.
Three miles east from Kilham, is Burton Agnes,
the seat of the late Sir Grilhth Boynton. Burton
Agnes belonged to the Somervilles, and by an heiress
of that family descended to the Grithths; and Sir
Henry Griffiths, at the latter end of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, began a stalely brick house, which
was finished by his widow. Here is a remarkably
neat church, which was repaired in 1727, by Sir
Griffith Boynton, the third baronet of his family. It
contains several ancient mouments of his ancestors
the Somervilles and Griffiths, and a very elegant one
by Cheere, in memory of Sir Griffith, the father of
the late Sir Griffith Boynton, who died 18th October,
1761. This lordship has a common of some thousand
acres of land, extending to the lordship of Barnston,
where stood formerly another good seat of the Boyn-
tons, to whom it came by marriage, in the time of
Richard III. The name of the Boyntons is local from
Boynton, (anciently Bovington), a small village of the
Wolds, five miles from Kilham, of which Bartholomew
de Boynton was seized in 1060.
In the church-yard of Rudstcn before-mentioned,
north-east of Kilham, there is a very tall obelisk of
the same stone, shape, and size as those at Borough-
bridge, though it is at least forty miles distant from
any quarry whatever.
GREAT DRIFFIELD,
rive miles from Kilham, is situated on a free sport-
ing country, well watered by several trout streams.
The woollen manufactory has been lately introduced
into the parish, and there are some extensive bleach-
ing grounds. The market is on Thursday.
In 1784, the Society of Antiquarians, having had
undoubted information that the remains of Kins Al-
TOPOGUAPHICAL DESCUIFTION. 325
fred the Great, who died in the year QOl, were depo-
sited ill the parish church of L.ttle Driffield, about
four ifiiles west from hence, deputed two of that
learned body (accompanied by some other gentle-
men), to take up and examine the same : accordingly,
on Tuesday the 20th of September, 1784, the above
gentlemen, with proper assistants, entered the church
for that purpose, to be directed to the identical spot,
by a secret iiistory. After digi^ing; some time they
found a stone coffin, and, on opening the same, dis-
covered the entire skeleton of that great and pious
prince, together with most part of his steel armour,
the remainder of which had probably been corroded
by rust and length of time. After satisfying their
curiosity, the cotfin was closed, as well as the grave,
that every thing might remain in the same state as
when found. In the history above alluded to, it
appears, that King Alfred, being wounded in the
battle of Stanford Briggs, returned to Dritiield, where
lie languished of his wounds twenty days, and then
expired, and was interred in the parish church thereof.
During his sickness he chartered four fairs, which are
now annually held.
On the south side of the chancel these lines are
written :
VVithin this Chancel
Lies interred the Body of
Alfred, King of Northumberland,
who departed this life
Jan. 19, A. D. 705,
In the 20th year of his reign.
Statutum est omnibus semel mori.
It is appointed for all once to die.
At Seamer was anciently a castle belonging to the
Percies ; and at Acton, two miles north-west, are the
ruins of another.
As we have already described Beverley, and the
•jountry from thence, we shall here conclude this
journey.
3'26 JHORin Mii) EAST RIDINGS.
Journejjfrum Hull to Palrington ; through Hedon,
or Headon.
At Sutton, two miles" west from Bilton, was a
Jiousc of Wliite P'riars in the reign of Edward I.
Three miles north-east from Bilton, at Burton Con-
'otable, is the seat of the ancient family of Constable,
lords Dunbar, rebuilt in the reign of Henry VIII.
Heden or HEADO^", is situated on a river or creek,
about half a mile from the Humber.
" ricdden hath been a fair haven town : it standeth
a mile and more within the creke, that cometh out of
Humbre into it. These crekes parting about the said
town, did insulate, and shippis layabout the town,
but now men come to it by three bridges, wher it is
evident to se that some places wher the shippis lay
be overgrown with flagges and reades, and the haven
is very sorely decayid. Ther were thre paroche
chirches in the time of mind, but now ther is but one
of St. Augustine; but that is very faire. And not far
from this tlimch garth appere tokens of a pile or
castel, that was sumtyme ther for tiie defence of the
town. The town hath yet grete privileges; with a
mair and bailies, but wher it had in Edward Illd's
days many good ships, and rich merchants, now there
but a few botes, and no merchants of any estimation.
Swarving and choaking of the haven, and fires defacing
much of the town, hath been the decay of it. Sum
say that the staple of wool of the north parts was once
here. Truth is, that when Hull began to flourish,
Hedden decayed. The Earl of Albermarle and Hol-
derness was lord of Hedden: and had a great manor-
place at Newton, a mile nearer the Humber."
There is a painting of a king and a bishop in the
church, and the same at Beverley.
At Newton, early in the reign of King John, was
an hospital for lepers, founded by Alan the son of
Osborn; which was granted to Robert Constable.
Great part of the town was burned in 1656, but the
houses have been since rebuilt, and the town im-
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCniPTION. 327
proved : to clear the haven a canal, or new cut, has
been made, but not sufficient to restore it to its former
utility. It has a market on Saturday.
Patrington, the ancient Praetoriuni, situated on a
river which runs into the Hutnber, is a corporation
town. The church is a sea-mark : the harbour is
said to have been formerly good, but now only small
vessels load and unload about a mile below the town.
The market is on Saturday.
Two miles east from Patrington, at Newton, or
Out-Newton, was an hospital founded by William
le Gros, Earl of Albermarle : granted to John Stan-
hope.
Three miles south-east from Patrington, at Burstal-=
garth, was a cell of Benedictine monks, subordinate
to the Abbey of St. Martin, at Aumale, in 1115. It
%vas sold in the reign of Richard II. as an alien priory
to the Abbey of Kirkstall.
Opposite the mouth of the river which runs from
Patrington, in the river Humber, is Sunk Island,
formed from a sand-bank; given by Charles II. to
Colonel Anthony Gilby, deputy-governor of Hull^
about nine miles in circumference : there are about
two thousand acres, enclosed with high banks,
which produce grain, besides about six or seven hun-
dred not enclosed. On the island are three or four
houses and a chapel.
About seven miles from Patrington is the Spurn-
Head, or long promontory running out into the sea,
and making the north point of the Humber. It is
supposed to be the Oceleum of Ptolemy, derived from,
the British word, Ychell, which signifies a high place.
An uncommonly large and regular tooth of some
species of bulky animal, yet unknown, was found
in June, 1805, upon the sea-shore at Spurn Point.
The bottom part of it was quite flat and even, with
alternate full and hollow black stripes across: it
weighed twenty-five ounces ; it measured twelve
inches and a half round; and four inches long, not-
withstanding part of ihe grains or lan^s of which had
r f '2
S'28 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
been ' inconsiderately broken off by tbe person who
discovered it. The upper was of various colours,
and it was somewhat in form like a small box-iron.
Journey from Hull to Hornsea.
Two miles from Hull, at Swine or Swiniif.y,
there was formerly a convent of Cistertian nuns,
founded by Robert de \''erlix, in the reign of King
Stephen; at the Dissolution the site was granted to
Sir John Constable.
Some years ago, in a garden at this place, a
few ancient silver and copper coins were found,
turned up by the gardener with his spade; one of
wliich is precisely of the same kind as the one
figured in the cuts of Roman coins, in Camden's
Britannia, p. 95, No. xviii., and to which he alludes
in his notes upon them, page 104, in the follow-
ing words; "xviii Flavius Constantinus Maximus
AvGUSTVP, tlie great ornament in Britain, stamped
this coin in Constantinople, as we are taught by these
characters underneath. Cons with this Gloria Ex-
ERCiTus; that is, the Glory of the Army^^ It should
be observed, that the figures representing the head of
Flavius on one side, and two men in armour, with
bows and spears in their hands, standing on each side
two banners on the other side, are remarkably legible,
considering the very great antiquity of the coin, which
is upwards of 1350 years old.
The village of Bransburton, on the left of our
road, about four miles west from Hornsea, was left
by Lady Dacre to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of
the City of London, in trust for Emanuel Hospital in
York-Street, Westminster, founded for old maids and
batchelors in 1601.
Hornsea, a small market-town, in the wapentake of
Holderness, is within half a mile of the coast, being
about fifteen miles southward from Bridlington, and
sixteen miles nearly N. E. from Hull. The church at
this place was noted for its lofiy spire, or broach, which
was a well known sea-maik», till about the beginning
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 329
of the labt century, wiien it was blown down by a
liurricane.
The town is situated in a valley, having rising
grouiids on the north and the south, a large piece of
water called the Mere, on the west, and the sea at a
short distance to the east. It consists of four strag-
gling streets, and a market-place of considerable breadth.
The market, however, which is on Monday, has long
been on the decline, and is now almost discontinued.
The populatioi\ does not not exceed seven or eight
hundred, and agriculture is the chief occupation of
the inhabitants.
Hornsea Mere, which begins within about a hun-
dred yards of the west end of the town, is remarkable
for being the only lake in Yorkshire, except Malham
Water, in Craven, fts dimensions, according to a
survey taken about the year 1700, are as follows:
Length from east to west, one mile and seven eighths.
Breadth in the widest part, three quarters of a mile.
Circuit, five miles and five-eighths.
Area, four hundred and sixty-seven acres.
But as some parts near the edge?, which were gene-
rally dry nine months in the year, have since the time
of this survey, been thrown up into banks, and planted
with alders, &c. ; the length of the water is now
supposed to be about one mile and three quarters,
and the area about 436 acres. At the distance
of about a quarter of a mile from the south-west
corner is Wassand, the seat of Marmaduke Constable,
esq., who being sole proprietor of the northern
banks of the Mere, and also of that part of the land on
the southern side, which lies towards the western ex-
tremity, has embellished the contiguous scenery with
thriving plantations. Wassand is a pleasant rural re-
treat, and the vicinity of the Mere, or lake, renders it
more agreeable.
About five miles to the south-west of Hornsea, is
RiSF, which anciently belonged to the noble family of
Fauconberg, but is now the seat of Mrs. Bethel. This
r fS
350 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
house, and the pleasure grounds, were greatly improved
by the late William Bethel, esq. who cut down a con-
siderable part of* the extensive wood, on the northern
edge of which the mansion was situated, and totally
changed the surrounding scenery, so as to give the
place an entirely new aspect.
Two miles more to the south-west, is the village of
Skirlaugh, or Skirlaw, which is in the parish of Swine,
but has a chapel constructed in a highly ornamented
style of Gothic architecture, and said to have been
built by Walter Skirlaw, Bishop of Durham, about
the end of the fourteenth, or the beginning of the
fifteenth century. At Swine, about three miles and a
half to the south of this village, and six miles from Hull,
there was once a religious house, which, at the time
of theDissolution, contained a prioress, and fourteen or
fifteen nuns of the Cistertian order. It was founded
by Robert de Verli, in the reign of king Stephen, and
dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The site is tiius de-
scribed by Burton : " As Holderness in general is
very flat, this priory was built upon the highest part
of the land, given for that purpose, and was properly
placed to prevent too many people going to disturb
them ; for the land is so flat, and the roads so deep,
that in winter, it is scarcely possible to get to it.
At present there are no remains of the building to be
traced, there being only a farm house." The annual
revenue of this house was, according to Dugdale,
82/. 3.S-. 9d.', but 134/. 6s. 9d. according to Speed. It
was surrendered by Dorothy Knight, the last prioress,
who received a pension of 13/. ds. 8f?. per annum :
each of the nuns had pensions of from 3/. 65. i\d. to
2l. per annum. The site, &c. was sold by Henry
VIII. in the year 1540, to Sir Robert Gresham, knt.
and soon afterwards, that prince sold to the same
person, the rectory of Swine, with all its appurte-
nances in Swine, Conistyn, and Gaustead, and the
tythes in the other parts of the parish, to be held " de
rege in capite per servic. railit." The Swine estate,
now belongs to Sir Francis Wood, bart.
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRrPlIOK. 331
At NuNKEELiNG, about three miles nortli-west
from Hornsea, a priory of Benedictine nuns was
founded by Agnes de Arches, in the reign of King
Steplien.
At Skitsey, near the sea, six miles north from
Hornsea, there was formerly a castle, built by Drugo,
iirst lord of Holderness.
Aldburgh, noticed in p. 264, was the capital of
the Brigantes, and must have been the chief city of
the island. Here reigned, in the early part of the first
century, Venutius, and his Queen Cartismandua, who,
confederating with her paramour Volucatus, deposed
the unfortunate prince. Venutius, however, by the
help of his allies, reduced the usurpers to great ex-
tremities. Cartismandua solicited aid from the
Romans, and that people, ever ready to derive advan-
tage from the dissensions of otlier nations, furnished
Iter with succours. While such was the state of
affairs, Caractacus, King of the Silures, celebrated in
history for his warlike exploits, having defended his
country for the space of nine vears against the Roman
force, was at length defeated, and sought protection
among the Brigantes, where he fell into the hands of
Cartismandua, and was by her order delivered up to
his enemies. Venutius being still at the head of the
greatest part of his Brigantian force, and in alliance
with the Silures, took the chief command of the con-
federates, and made a noble stand against the invaders
till he was defeated by Petilius Cerealis, who brought
a great part of the country under tlie Roman domi-
nion. About the year 79, Julius Agrlcola completed
the reduction of the Brigantes, and remained some
time in these parts, where he erected fortresses for
the security of his conquests, endeavouring, at the
same time, to conciliate the airection of the Britons
by his humanity and politeness, while he rivetted their
chains by incitements to luxury, and dissipation, and
dazzled their eyes by a display of the Roman grandeur,
in erecting superb temples, sumptuous baths, places
for public assemblies, and other magnificent structures.
332 NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
At this time tlie Roman city of Isurium must have
been built; and Drake supposes, with great proba-
bility, that Agricola also laid the foundation of Ebo-
racum, which soon after became the capital of the
whole country.
The city of Isurium, according to the statement
given by Mr. Morris, in a letter to the Right Rev.
Dr. Gibson, Bishop of London, comprised within the
Roman wall sixty acres by admeasurement, lying
almost in a direct square upon the slope of a hill de-
clining towards the river Ure on the north. But
there seems to be some mistake, or miscalculation, in
that gentleman's account ; for Mr. Hargrove says,
that the walls which may yet be traced, were found
to measure 2500 yards in circuit. If the city was
nearly square, and from tlie plan which Drake has
given, it seems to have been a parallelogram approxi-
mating to that form, it must have contained an area
of considerably more than sixty acres. " The walls
were about four yards thick, founded on large pebbles
laid on a bed of blue clay, now wholly covered with
earth, but laid open by such as want stones for build-
ing, where they have some large coarse stones of red
sandy grit taken from a rock of the same in the town.
To the clay, viz. the foundation, in several places, is
four or five yards deep. The soil is all of a black
earth, from t% hence the tradition that they have may
be allowed, that it was burned by the Danes when
York was destroyed by them ; and this also appears
frequently, upon opening the ground bones are found
half burned, with other black ashes." In the year
1794, the foundation of the city wjill was opened on
the west side towards Boroughbridgc, for the purpose
of procuring stone. Its thickness was here found to
be full five yards, and the depth about the same
number of yards below the surface. At first there
appeared layers of red grit stone in irregular pieces,
mixed with lime and coarse sand, which continued to
the depth of about seven feet, and afterwards layers
of pebbles bedded iii blue clay to the depth of eight
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 333
feet, resting on ;i bed of sand. There were also found
pieces of urns, several querns, or mill-stones, horns of
deer sawn off apparently with a very fine saw ; also
a small head of a coa- in brass, supposed to be a
symbolical representation of the female deity Isis.
In the year 1808, some workmen di(^ging on the south
side of Aldburgh, in order to widen the road leading
to York, discovei'ed a numberof urns containing ashes
and burnt bones, w ith a lachryuKitory, a fibula vestaria,
and eighteen human skeletons, one of which had a
piece of money in its teeth, and another a riVig on its
finger, all in wonderful preservation, considering that
they must have lain there more than 1400 years. It
was evident that the bodies of those w hose ashes were
contained in the urns, had been burned on the place,
as there .was a thin stratum of black earth and ashes
that covered the whole surface of the ground where
they were deposited. A variety of Roman coins were
also found at the same time. On Borough-hill, which
formerly stood near the centre of the ancient Isurium,
but was removed in the year 1783, were several
curious specimens of tessellated pavements, and from
the bases of pillars, sacrificing vessels, bones, and
liorns of beasts, especially stags, which have been
found in this place, it seems to have been the site of
a Roman temple. This hill was about four yards in
height, and 100 yards in circuit, and vvas used in later
times by the burgesses of Aldburgh, as a place of as-
sembly for the purpose of electing their representatives
in parliament.
Within the precincts of the ancient city, and in
many places in the environs, great numbers of Roman
coins have been found. Some few of these are of gold
and silver, but most of them of brass, and chiefly of
the following emperors: Augustus Caesar, Claudius,
Vespasian, Domitian, Nerva, Trajan, Pertinax, Se-
verus, Maximin, Valerian, Aurelian, Carausius, Alec-
tus,.Dioclesian, Constantius, and Gonstantine: those
of Constantino have been found in the greatest abun-
dance. There have also been found several fra<j:ment£
534 NORTH AST) EAST RIDINGS.
of eartlien vessels wrought with knots, fiowers, and
heads of birds and beasts, and one with the head
cjf Jupiter Ammon, besides chains of gold, polished
signets, urns, lamps of various figures, fragments
of aqueducts covered with Roman tile sixteen inches
long, twelve inches broad, and two inches thick, and
several pieces of Roman glass. But the chief Roman
curiosities that are now to be seen, are the tessel-
lated pavements, the largest and most entire of which
was found in digging the ground-work of a cottage, in
which it is carefully preserved for public inspection.
In the year 1770, were discovered by digging within
the town, the foundations of a range of buildings 216
feet in length, and twenty-four feet in breadth; the
two outsides were exactly parallel to each other, run-
ning from east to west, and between them were seve-
ral partitions. These foundation walls were of stone
strongly cemented, three feet in thickness, and five
feet below the surface.
The British name of this city, Iseur, appears evi-
dently derived from Isis and Ure ; but it is difficult to
conceive how the Britons could have obtained any
knowledge of a goddess, whom the Greeks and the
Romans themselves had borrowed from Egypt; and it
would be useless to attempt to investigate the various
conjectures of antiquaries, on a subject in which it is
impossible to hope for any certainty of conclusion.
The Romans, by gi\'ing it a termination congenial to
their language, altered it to Isurium, and it was to-
tally changed by the Saxons, who called it Burgh,
perhaps from the name of some town in their own
country, and afterwards Aldbergh, or the old town,
from its antiquity.
Although Isurium affords convincing proofs of its
ancient grandeur, its history is extremely obscure. It
appears to have flourished during the whole period of
the Roman domination in Britain^ and to have con-
stituted one of the principal outposts to their capital,
Eboracum, or York, which was the seat of their go-
vernment, and the focus of their military force. It
TOFOGRArRlCAL D ESCR [ I* HON . 335
seems also to have been a place of considerable note
in the time of the Saxons; and its destruction, as al-
ready observed, is ascribed to the Danes. But from
the evident marks of fire discovered on opening tlie
ground, as also from the tessellated pavements, and
other Roman antiquities, generally found at about the
same depth of two feet below the surface, it appears
that the ancient Isurium did not perish by a gradual
decay, but by some sudden and unexpected calamity.
The most probable conjecture therefore is, that the
Roman city was destroyed by the Saxons in some part
of that bloody and turbulent period which preceded
their establishment in this country, and of the trans-
actions of which history has preserved nothing but a
confused memorial. The conquerors, who generally
built their towns on the sites of Roman cities, rebuilt
Isurium, and gave it the name of Aldburgh, or the
Old Town. And it therefore appears that it was the
Saxon citv, not the Roman Isurium, which was de-
stroyed by ihe Danes. The area of the ancient city
is fur the most part laid out in fields, and from the si-
tuation of the tessellated pavements, it is evident that
the ruins have raised the ground about two feet above
tlie Roman level.
The family of Aldburgli, which formerly flourished
here, resided in a spacious mansion, now called Ald-
burgh-hall. Some of this family were knights; but
the male issue failing about the commencement of
the last century, the estate was divided among three
co-heiresses, and by their marriage transferred to dif-
ferent families. In the church one single memorial of
this family remains. This is a flat stone inlaid with
brass, on which is the figure of a knight in armour,
bearing on his shield the arms of Aldburgh, with this
inscription, " Will, de Aldburgh," on a scroll under
his feet.
The church, which is a vicarage, in the patronage
of the Dean and Chapter of York, is an ancient struc-
ture, and supposed by Drake to be built out of the
ruins of Isurium, On the outside of the wall of
336 JIORTII AND EAST RIDINGS.
the vestry, is a ti<;ure ot about two teet and a half in
Jength, which seeiDS to be that of Mercury, as part of
the caduceup, and the alee are yet perceptible. In
the church-yard is a ^rave stone, in which is cut in
rehevo the lialf length figure of a woman in a Saxon
habit, and in the attitude of prayer.
The Roman road from Pretorium or Patrington to
Gabranticorum Sinus, now Burlington Bay, runs
through Aldburgh, whose name proves its high an-
tiquity.
No county in England abounds with so much ro-
mantic scenery as Yorkshire, and in this perhaps the
V'^ale of Swaledale is most remarkable. It evidently
takes its name from the river Swale, and extends about
sixteen miles in lengtl), in a direction from west to
east, the two extreme boundaries being IIoHow-Mill-
Cross, and Low Stollerston Stde. HoUow-Mill-Cross,
its western limit, is also one of the b mndaries be-
tween Yorkshire and Westmoreland. In entering the
dale from this quarter, the view which presents itself
to the traveller is far from being calculated to impress
him with a favourable idea of the country; on the left
stands the boundary, which is a rude pile of stones,
overgrown witl) moss, and on the right a small rivulet
winds its devious path. In vain the eye wanders over
an extensive tract of country in search of some pleas-
ing object: sterility every where reigns; and nothing
is seen but the dark brown heath. The rugged and
uneven path which the traveller has to pursue is the
only indication to induce him to suppose that any liu-
man foot had trod this desolate region, whilst the dark
and gloomy mists which generally cover the summits
of the surrounding mountains add to the dreariness of
the scene. This part of Swaledale is called Birkdale,
and gives name to the rivulet, or beck, passing through
it. A little further to the south a few small enclo-
sures, and the fir^t cottage in Swaledale, appear in
view. Nearly opposite to this place. Little Steddal
beck falls into Birkdale, and about a mile and a half
below is joined by greal Steddal beck, when the united
TOPOGRAPHICAL UEStUIPTION. 337
Streams take the name of Swale. The nver then
runs due cabt; and a few cottages with a sHght bridge
of one arch, to which the inhabitants give the name
of Bowbridge, make Swaiedale begin to appear hke a
portion of the inhabited world. Crossing this bridge,
the tourist proceeds along the south bank of the
Swale, which runs here in a bed of solid rock, and in
its course forms several water-falls.
A little below this bridge is Whitsondale, and the
rivulet which runs through it here falls into the Swale.
In Whitsondale, which stretches about six miles to
the north-west, there are, it is said, some very exten-
sive caverns, and particularly one called Brian's Cave.
The next object that strikes the eye is a range of
rocks called Coutherby Scar, extending about half a
mile on the north side of the Swale, and about twenty-
three yards in height. At the distance of about a mile
is a small water-fall, called Hogiiart Leap, viith a
bridge leading to Weststonedale. Below tlie bridge
there are two other water-falls of much greater beauty,
one of which is formed by the Swale, the other by
Stonesdale beck: the latter is extremely curious, hav-
ing worn the rock in such a manner as to give it the
appearance of three distinct columns
In proceeding down the dale, the next hamlet is Keld.
This place, when viewed from the riprth-east, has a
very picturesque appearance, which is much heightened
by a water-fall close by, called Keld Force. To the
south-east of Keld is Kisdon, a mountain nut ditYering
in heighth from those around, but which being de-
tached from the rest, seems placed in the middle of
the ^ale. On the west side of this insulated hill are
two small hamlets, named Angram and Thorns. And
on the north side is a beautiful water-fall, formed by
the Swale, and known by the name of Kisdon Force.
Properly speaking, it consists of two falls, the lower
of which is the most worthy of notice : it is not of
great height; but the rocks on each s.ide, especially
those to the north, give a boldness to the scene,
that renders it an\azingly line.
538 NUllTH A'SD EAST RIDINGS.
Nature has here been more lavish of her charms
than we generally find her ia this rugged district,
having covered the lower part of the hills with wood,
which in the summer season appears to great advan-
tage amidst these scenes of sterility. The Force has
also its beauties in winter: in severe frosts the large
quantities of ice which on every side hang pendent
from the rocks, and in some places cover them, give
It a novel and striking appearance ; whilst the water,
surmounting the obstructions of the ice, seems to rush
down with redoubled violence. To those whom cu-
riosity may lead to visit Kisdon Force, it will not be
an unnecessary hint to observe, that it ought to be
approached on the south side. It is there seen to
much greater advantage than on the north, where it
can only be looked down upon from a frightful and
dangerous precipice.
rhe hills near this place rising with an abrupt and
unusually steep ascent, render the scene extremely
romantic. It is worthy the attention of the painter;
and Mr. Cuitto of Richmond, has done it ample
justice.
To the north of Kisdon Force is Beldy Hill, and
near it a farm-house, called Crackpot Hall, in a situa-
tion which, though it must be regarded as sublime,
few would envy ; for the steepness of the ascent seems
to forbid any approach to the premises. On the spot
where it stands was formerly the residence of the
deer-keeper to the Duke of Wharton, Swaledale beii:g
then little more than an extensive park.
To the south of Kisdon are a few cottages, kno\yn
by the name of Thwaite ; and a little to the eastward
is Muker, an irregularly built and disagreeable town,
with a population of upwards of a thousand persons.
Here is a small market on Wednesday; and the Lord
of the Manor holds his courts at this place for the
upper parts of Swaledale. At Muker there is a
chapel of ease, which was consecrated on the 3d day
of August, 1580, by William Chadderton, Bishop of
Chester; but the inhabitants pay all ecclesiastical
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 339
dues to the vicar of the parochial church of Grinton.
They also bear the whole charge of maintaining the
minister, who official es at their own chapel. Muker
is about eight or nine miles nearly west from Rceth,
about nineteen in the same direction from Richmond,
and about seven from A.skrigg. The intervening
country between IMuker and Askrin^ is a part of
those tracts called the Forests of Swaledale and Wens-
leydale.
The lordship or manor of Muker in Swaledale for-
merly belonged to the Abbey of Rievaulx, near Dun-
combe-park, and consisted of Gavelkind tenures held
of the abbot by certain rents, fines, suit, and service
at the Lord's Court. After the monastery was sup-
pressed, and its possessions came to the crown, the
tenements in this manor were held immediately of
the king. On the 2d day of December, 1544,
Henry VIII. by letters patent gianted, under a certain
yearly rent, his right in the manor of Muker, with
other lands in Yorkshire, to Philip Lord Wharton,
and Sir Thomas Wharton, knt. The manor was then
occupied by fifty-three tenants, and held by them
under the above-mentioned conditions.
On the 12th of November, 1618, Philip Lord
Wharton, and Sir Thomas Wharton, knight, for " the
consideration of the sum of 1654/. 13.s. 4rf. granted
and executed a deed, wherein they ratified, confirmed,
established, and assured to the tenants, their estates
which they and their predecessors from time imme-
morial had held, used, and enjoyed without violence,
disturbance, or interruption, of the said Lord Wharton,
Sir Thomas WMiarton, or any former lord or lords."
Shunner Fell. — About four miles to the west of
Muker is a hill called Shunner Fell, which is one of
the highest of those bordering Swaledale ; and the
view from its summit will be allowed, by every ad-
mirer of the grand scenes of Nature, to be an ample
compensation for the trouble of ascending to so lofty
a region. To the west the eye, after wandering over
that tract of ground called Swaledale Forest, bin
G SI 2
340 NORTH AND EAST HIDINGS.
where scarcely the vestige of a tree is now to be seen
lias an extensive view over Westmoreland ; and the
prospect is finely bounded by the lofty mountains of
Cumberland, auion<;st which Cross Fell and Skiddaw
are easily distinguished.
Towards the south the prospect is more confined ;
but the various forms of the mountains on the borders
of Ltfincashire, by which it is obstructed, amply supply
the defect, in exhibiting a diversity highly picturesque
and pleasing. For though the view on every side is
mostly composed of mountains, yet those to the south
are seen to the greatest advantage, rising in a manner
extremely bold and majestic. Some of the mountains
near Dent also add to the beauty of the southern
prospect.
Tn the eastern view the romantic valley of Swaledale
appears to great advantage. The eye, after ranging
over th^ hills which rise on each side of the dale,
overlooks a great part of Yorkshire, with the southern
part of the county of Durham. It is even said, that
in very serene weather the German Ocean may be
distinguished opposite to the mouth of the Tees.
To the north are seen Stainmore's wintry wastes,
with the county of Durham stretching far to the right.
Still further to the north, the view is extended to the
Avilds of Northumberland, the mountains of which are
lost in the distance.
In proceeding eastward from Muker along the south
side of the dale, we pass a small rivulet called Spout-
gill-beck, so named from a lead-mine, which was for-
merly so rich as to clear above 30,000/. in one year.
We then cross the Swale at Ivelet-bridge, leaving on
the right a small place called Satron, which, from its
situation at the northern foot of a hill of the same
name, is for some months in the year wholly secluded
from the cheering influence of the sun. To the north
of the bridge is the hamlet of Ivelet, where there is a
beautiful water-fall. About a mile below Ivelet are
Gunnerside and Lodge Green, two places which,
being separated only by,a small brook, generally go
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCKIPTIOX. 341
under llie name of Gunnerside. To the north of
Gunnerside isLownithwaite, a lead-mine belonging to
the Earl of PomfreU
Feetiiam, like most of the hamlets in Swaledale,
consists of a few cottages irregularly scattered on the
side of a hill. To the north of this place is the old
Gang, where are some of the principal lead mines
belonging to the Earl of Pomfret.
About two miles to the east of Feethara is Hea-
laugh, which, although nothing superior to the ham-
lets already described, was formerly the manor town,
and still possesses the name. To the west of it, in a
field called Hallgarth, are the vestiges of a house,
which tradition says belonged to John of Gaunt,
Duke of Lancaster, who was Lord of the IVIanor.
Opposite to Ilealaugh are the luarks of an entrench-
ment called Maiden's Castle, which is about a hun-
dred yards square. Along the east end of the hill
the vestiges of another entrenchment are visible. It
seems to have extended a mile and a half on the edge
of a low precipice. In those parts where the preci-
pice seems to have been the most steep, it is discon-
tinued; but where the access is easier, it is triple.
On the south side of the hill its course is intercepted
by a narrow brook, after which it may be perceived
to have been carried forward to some distance up the
opposite hill. A mile or two to the west of this en-
trenclmient, a Roman road crossed the dale, leading
from Askrigg tu Barnard Castle, in the county of Dur-
ham. There is also an entrenchment which runs in a
direct Hue through the dale, and passes through Fre-
rnington. But no records make any mention of the
time when these entrenchments were thrown up, or
of the particular purpose for which they were in-
tended. Some pieces of armour have been found in
Fremington Edge, which, from their shape, are sup-
posed to be of Roman origin.
Reeth, situated about a mile and a half below
Ilealaugh, and nearly half a mile above the conflux
of the rivers Arkle and Swale, upon an eminence in-
G 23
342 ^OUTH AND EAST RIDINGS.
dining to the south, has of late years become one of
the best towns in this district. It is ten miles nearly
west from Richmond, and about the same distance
north-east from Askrigg, and north«vvest from Ley-
burn. Here is a small market on Friday, held bv a
charter granted to Philip Lord Wharton,' in the sixth
year of the reign of William III. and Mary. The
town of Reeth is very irregular, but its form ap-
proaches the nearest to a square, having a row of de-
cent houses on the western side. The greatest part is
paved, and in general clean. A chapel for the Dis-
senters was erected here by subscription, in the year
1783, and another for the Methodists, by the same
means in 1796. A free school was also erected in
1778, the endowment of which was left by Mr. Raw,
a Quaker, with the proviso that the school should be
built in sight of Marrick Abbey, and that part of the
Swale where he used to bathe. The population of
Reeth amounts only to six or seven hundred, and the
town has scarcely any trade except the manufacture
of yarn stockings, which are bought up mostly for ex-
portation by the hosiers in the neighbourhood.
The prospects from Reeth and its environs are, in
the summer season, very fine, though not extensive.
The wood which is seen on the lower parts of the hills
near the bottom of the vale, forms a beautiful contrast
with Fremington Edge, a mountain bounding the view
to the north; and barren in the extreme, as the great-
est part of it presents only a mass of naked rocks,
here and there thinly covered with turf, witii a slight
intermixture of fern, that frequent companion of ste-
rility. Harkcr, another mountain less barren than
Fremington Edge, bounds the prospect towards the
south.
In the bottom of the vale the river is seen to great
advantage, meandering among the pastures. On the
right the steeple (if Grinton behind a clump of trees,
the bridge and the humble cottages, of which the
village is chiefly composed, form an assemblage of
pleasing objects. Beyond these are Cozden Hall, and
TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION. 343
Marrick Abbey, whilst the Scar at Ellerton, which
terminates tlie view to tlie east, rising above the wood,
gives to the scenery a finish beautifully picturesque.
Swale Hall. — On the south side of the Swale,
nearly opposite to Reeth, stands Swale Hall, once the
seat of Sir Solomon Swale, bart. It does not, how-
ever, appear to have ever deserved the name of a
mansion. This family was of great antiquity in these
parts : the first that we find mentioned is Alured de
Swale, nephew and chief chamberlain to Walter de
Gaunt, Earl and Lord of the Seigniory ofSwaledale,
who in the latter end of the reign of William Rufus,
or the beginning of that of Henry I. granted in fee to
his said nephew Alured, liis manor of West Grinton,
part of his said lordship. And the family are supposed
to have taken their name from this manor, lying oil
the banks of the Swale. Sir Solomon Swale was
created a baronet in 1660. The male branch of the
family became extinct in the last century; and about
the year 1790, Swale Hall was sold to a Mr. Hut-
chinson.
A little below Reeth is a neat bridge of three arches,
over the river Arkle ; beyond which, at the distance
of about a mile and a half from Reeth, is Fremington,
where is an elegant mansion belonging to Peter Denys,
esq. To the right, and about the same distance from
Reeth, is Grinion, a small dirty village, at the west
end of which stands the parish church. The living is
in the gift of the Lord Chancellor. In the east win-
dow are the arms of the family of Swale. On the
north side of the altar is an escutcheon to the memory
of a lady of the Darcy family.
The last object worth notice in this district is
Cozden Hall, a small, but neat mansion, of modern
construction. It is within two miles of Reeth, and
at a short distance from Low Stollerston Stile, which
is considered as the eastern boundary ofSwaledale.
With the exception of a few particular places,
Swaledale is almost totally destitute of wood. This
circumstance, which renders its general appearance less
344 NORTH fL'SD EAST HIDINGS.
picturesque than it would otherwise be, seems to be
partly owint? to the right which the Lord of the Manor
possesses of cutting down as much wood as he pleases
for the use of the smelting-mills.
In the bottom of the Vale the land is fertile; but
the sides of the mountains are gradually marked by
the decrease of vegetation; and the tops c'' several of
them seem to be condemned to perpetual sterility.
Considerable improvements have been made in the
agriculture of the lower or eastern part of the Dale ;
but in the upper or western part the coldness and hu-
midity of the climate deter the inhabitants from at-
tempting the cultivation of grain, and induce them to
apply almost solely to grazing. In its general aspect
Swaledale is, in picturesque beauty, inferior to both
Wharfdalc and Wcnsleydale, or even to some parts
of Airdale; but it is equal to any of these in the grand
features of Nature: its prevailing character is dreary
sublimity.
The Lead-mines in Swaledale, and the other dales
communicating with it, must be considered as an im-
portant feature in a description of this district.
The Earl of Pomfret is the principal proprietor of
the vSwaledale mines, which are at present leased to
W. Chaytor, esq. of Spennythorne, near Middleham,
Thomas Hopper, esq. of Newcastle, and Messrs.
George and Thomas Alderson, lead-merchants, Lon-
don. The annual produce is estimated at 3000 tons.
riurst mines, the property of William Poulett, esq.,
are leased to Mr. Stapleton, of Richmond ; annual
produce estimated at about 400 tons.
Whitsondale mines, held under the Crown, by Mr.
Knighton and Mr. Morley, produce annually about 400
tons.
The Arkengarth-dale mines, which lie to the nortli
of Swaledale, are particularly deserving of attention,
from the \ery liberal and spirited manner in which
these concerns have been earned on, under the judi-
cious and scientific management of Frederic Hall, esq.
one of the principal proprietors. The aids of mecha-
TOl'OGRAPillCAL DLhCllIPTJOK. 345
nism and chennsti)- have been called in, and the prin-
ciples and narrow prejudices which tornierlv prevailed
are wholly exploded. An ample product bids fair
towardti a remuneration for the sums which have been
expended. They are carried on by a firm bearing
the name of the Arkengarth-dale and Darvvent Mining
Company, under the direction and superintendence of
Mr. Hall. The annual produce is about 2000 tons.
There are some other small concerns, the product of
vhich may fee estimated at about 100 tons.
In the agt^regate, these mines are supposed to em-
ploy about 2000 persons.
Clints, the seat of Thomas Errington, esq., about
five miles west from Richmond, is one of the finest
rural retreats in this part of the country. It is beau-
tifully situated on the north side of a deep valley,
which is watered by a small rivulet. The mansion is a
modernized structure, and being of a yellowish colour,
forms a softening contrast with the grey clitFs rising
behind it, and beyond which is a plantation of dark
pines, and a long range of rocks stretching towards
the north-west. The views from the house display all
the romantic beauty that richly wooded valleys, rocks,
and water, generally form. On the south side of the
valley in which Clmts is situated, is Marske Hall,
the seat of the Hutton family.
The improvements which have taken place in this
neighbourhood are well worthy the notice of the scien-
tific agriculturist. And very extensive plantations
have of late yeais been made, which have a promising
appearance. Measures are also taking to bring into
cultivation a large extent of newly enclosed common
of a very unpromising aspect.
In closing a description of these romantic districts,
it will not be amiss to observe, that the moors, or
mountains, adjacent to Wensleydale, Swaledale, &c.
are famous for the diversion of shooting moor-game,
or grouse, and greatly frequented in the summer by
sportsmen, who resort to these wilds for that purpose.
This amusement, which is little known in the more
346 KORTU AKD EAST RIDINGS.
soiuheni parts of the kingdom, is a healthy, but verv
laborious, exercise. As the scene of action chiefly
lies on wild heaths, it is not unusual for parties to
erect a tent, in order to secure themselves against bad
weather; or for the convenience of taking refreshment.
The season for this diversion begins about five or six
weeks sooner than that of partridge-shooting. The
grouse somewhat resembles the partridge in shape,
but exceeds it considerably in size : its plumage is ex-
tremely beautiful, being of a fine glossy variegated
brownj displaying a diversity of tints impossible to
describe: its eyes are encircled by a very bright
scarlet-coloured membrane, and its legs are feathered
down to the feet. Its food consists chiefly of bilber-
ries, with the tops and flowers of the ling, or heath.
Its flesh is considered as having a finer flavour than
that of any other British bird.
One of the most extraordinary phenomena of nature,
ever observed in this, or in any other part of the
world, occurred in the vicinity ot Wold Newton, on
the 13th of December, 1795, about three o'clock in
the afternoon ; when a stone, of the weight of fifty-
six pounds, fell from some superior region. The
place where it fell is about one third of a mile nearly
west from Wold Cottage, the seat of Edward Topham,
esq. who, in order to commemorate the event, has
erected an obelisk, with this inscription:
" Here
On this spot, Dec. 13th, 1795,
Fell from the atmosphere
An extraordinary stone.
In breadth twenty-eight inches.
In length thirtv-six inches,
And
\Vhose weight was fifty-six pounds.
This column.
In memory of it.
Was erected by
Edward Topham,
1799."
lOI'OGRAPIIICAL DliSCRIPTK'N. oi7
The following account was coinmunicated by Majoi
Topham himself, and is publislfed in a work, on Bri-
tish mineralogy, by Mr. Sovverby, in whose musemn
the stone is now deposited.
"The stone in question fell within two fields of my
house. The weather was misty, and at times inclin-
ing to rain; and though there was some thunder and
lightning at a chstance, it was not till the falling of the
stone that the explosion took place, which alarmed
the surrounding country, and which created so dis-
tinctly the sensation that something very singular had
happened.
" When the stone fell, a shepherd of mine, who was
returning from his sheep, was about 150 yards from
the spot; and John Shipley, one of ray farming men,
was so near the spot where it fell, that he was struck
very forcibly by some of the mud and earth raised by
the stone dashing into the earth, which it penetrated
to the depth of twelve inches and s:even afterwards
into the chalk rock; making in all, a depth of nine-
teen inches from the surface.
" When the stone was passing through the air,
which it did in a north-west direction from the sea-
coast, numbers of persons distinguished a body pass-
ing through the clouds, though not able to ascertain
what it was; and two sons of the clergyman of Wold
Newton, (a village near me) saw it pass so distinctly
by them, that they ran up immediately to my house
to know if any thing extraordinary had happened.
" In the different villages over which the stone took
its direction, various were the people who heard the
noise of something passing through the air, accurately
and distinctly, though they could not imagine what
was the cause of it; and, in many of the provincial
newspapers, these accounts were published, at the
time, from different persons.
"In fact, no circumstance of the kind had ever
more concurrent testimonies; and the appearance of
the stone itself, while it resembles in composition
those which arc suppojsed to have fallen in various
348 NORTH AND EAST HIDINGS.
Other parts of the world, has no counterpart or resem-
blance in the natural stones of the country.
" The stone, in its fall, excavated a place of the
depth before mentioned ; and of soniething more than
a yard in diameter. It had fixed itself so strongly in
the chalk rock, that it required labour to dig it out.
" On being brought home, it was weighed, and the
weight at that time was fifty-six pounds, which has
been diminished in a small degree at present, by
different pieces being taken from it, as presents to
different literati of the country. Mr. King, the anti-
quary, in his account of " Sky-fallen stones," has pub-
lished an account of this, with many curious and
learned remarks, on those which liave fallen at dif-
ferent periods.
" All these three witnesses, who saw it fall, agree
perfectly in their account of the manner of its fall,
and that they saw a dark body passing through the
air, and ultimately strike the ground; and though,
from their situation and characters in life, they could
have no possible object in detailing a false account of
this transaction, I felt so desirous of giving this matter
every degree of authenticity, that, as a magistrate, I
took their account upon oath, immediately on my re-
turn into the country. I saw no reason to doubt any
of their evidence, after the most minute investigation
of it."
The notion of stones falling from above, has pre-
vailed in various countries, and in almost every period
of society; but, as it appeared impossible to account
by natural causes for this phenomenon, philosophers
in general rejected the fact, or affirmed, at least, that
if stones did actually fall, they had first been ejected
from the earth by some volcanic eruption. The an-
cient accounts of natural phenomena, indeed, were
generally supported by suspicious evidence, or dis-
guised by fiction ; and the first narrative of this kind,
that has been presented to the world under circum-
blances of credible accuracy, is that of the celebrated
Gassendi, wh(» was himself tiie eye witness of what
lOPOGKAPIIKAL DCSCiUPTION. 349
he relates. On the 27th Nov. 1027, the sky being
clear, he saw a burning stone fall on i\loiuU Vaisir,
between the towns of Guillaunies and Perne, in Pro-
vence. Its fall was accompanied hy a noise like the
discharge of artillery, and its weight was found to be
fifty-nine pounds. Having only tliis one solitary in-
stance to examine, he concluded that the stone came
from some neighbouring mountain, which liad been in
a transient state of volcanic eruption. But successive
instances of this kind, being witnessed during the last
two centuries, the attention of philosophers was, at
length, seriously directed to this curious subject.
y\ccurate accounts of the fall of stones were collected
from different quarters. The stones themselves were
carefully examined, and chemically analyzed. And
the result of various experiments, made by IVI. de La
Lande, IV] . Lavoisier, ISL Vauquelin, Count de Bour-
non, and (<ur ingenious countryman, Mr. Howard,
proves to a demonstration, that the stones w hich have
fallen at different times on the earth in France, Italy,
England, and the East Indie>, are precisely of the
same nature, consisting of the same simple substances,
nearly in the same proportions, and combined in the
same manner, so as to form heterogeneous aggregates,
of which the general resemblance to each other is
complete. And it is not less worthy of obsenation,
that no other bodies composed of the same ingredients
have yet been discovered on our globe.
But the origin of these stones which fall from the
atmosphere, is the question that puzzles philosophical
sagacity and research. To those who would ascribe
them to the action of volcanoes, it may be answered
that no volcano is known in India, in Bohemia, in
France, or in Britain : or if it be supposed that these
bodies are projected by iEtna, Ilecla, &c. to so vast
distances, this is evidently explaining what is myste-
rious, by assuming what seems impossible. As the
Yorkshire stone fell within seven miles of the sea
coast, and js said to iiave come with an oblique de-
scent from that quarter, it has been ^urmiLcd bvbonie,
H h
SoO ^ORTH AND EAST RID1KC5.
that it miwht have been projected by the sudden
eruption of a sub-marine volcano, and that the vol-
catio itself" iniii^ht have been instantaneously extin-
guished by the iuiTnense mass of waters rushing into
the crater. This conjecture, however, cannot apply
to stones of a similar nature which have fallen at a
vast distance from the sea. Another hypothesis,
which supposes that the constituent parts of the stones
exist in the atmosphere, and are united by the i;;nition
of a meteor, or by the electric fluid, is still more
vague and improbable, than that of a volcanic origin.
It is possible that iron, silica, kc. may be compounds
of oxygen, hydrogen, &c. but we have no grounds to
believe that to be the case ; and the hypothesis nmst
be extremely hazardous that rests on mere possi-
bilities.
THE END.
IK M'MjlIan, I'l inter,
Bow^Btieet, Covent-Gardcnl
INDEX.
PAGE
Abberford - 205
Accident, a remarkable 269
Ackworth School 208
Addle Church 189
Ainstv of York - 246
Aire-head, 108 — Aire,
or Air, the - 63
Aldburgh 264 331, 336
Family of 335
Aldby - - 277
Aldfield, village of 168
Alfred the Great, re-
mains of - 325
AUanpot - 100
Allerton Mauleverer 204
Almoudsbury - 135
Altar-piece, curious 188
Animal, species of a
bulky - 327
Antiquities - 277
Arkle river - 343
Askern, or Askron 21 1
Askrigg - 256
Athelstan Abbey 308
palace of King 205
Aysgarth, water-falls at
256, 257
Bainbridge - 258
Banking-houses, list of
53,54
Barden Tower - 122
Barnsley Canal - 64
Barnsley - 135, 136
Bawtry - 212
Beacon, remains of an
ancient - 99
Becks, small navigable
streams so called 75
PAGE
Bedale - 309
Beldy-hill - 338
Belvidere, or Bellevue 211
Berwick in Elmet 205
Beverley, 279— John of,
280— Minster, 281 —
Freed Stoole at, 282
principal trade of 283
Bigland, advice of Mr.,
to those who visit In-
gleborough - 102
Bilton and Coghill Halls 170
Bilton-park, springs at 179
Bingley - - 124
Birkdale - 336
Blackside Cove - 101
Bolton Castle 258, 259
Hall 142, 260
Priory, remains
of 119,120
beauties of 120
Boots and gloves of
Henry VI. - 142
Boroughbridge 203, 31 1
burnt by
the Scots - 203
Boundaries between
Yorkshire and West-
moreland - 337
Bowbridge - 337
Bowes, 307 — Castle 307
Bradford, 189 — staple
trade of - 189
Bramham-moor 148
Bransburton - 328
Bridges in the North
Riding - 77
Bridlington - 319, 320
Hh2
INDEX.
PAGE
Brotherton - 205
Broughton • 275
Bub with - 318
Burstalgarth - 327
Burton Agnes - 324
Constable 326
Byfield Abbey - 247
Caer-house, a decoy un-
der water - 212
Calcaria, or Calcacester 149
Calder, the - 63
navigationof the 126
Cambodonum 132, 133
Camp, ruins of an an-
cient - 174
Canal, the Leeds and
Liverpool - 118
Canals in the West Rid-
ing 6'1 — in the North
Rtding, 75, 77— in the
East Riding - - 87
Cappagh, antique corn-
mill and mill-stones at 258
Carriages in the West
Riding, 70 — in the
North Riding, 80—
in the East Riding 93
Castle, remains of an an-
cient - - 147
Castleberg, a conical
rock - - IC6
Castleford - - 206
Castle Haugh - 144
Hills, the - 252
Howard - 275
Park - - ib.
Steeds - - 264
Catterick - - 308
Cattle in the West Rid-
ing, 68— in the North
Riding, 81 — in the
East Riding - 92
Caverns, extensive - 337
PAGE
Cawood - - 218
Civil and ecclesiastical
divisions of the county,
57— of the West Rid-
ing, 72 — of the North
ing, 85— of the East
Riding - - 94
Clapham - - 104
Climate and Soil of the
West Riding, 61— of
the North Riding, 74
—of the East Riding 86
Clints - - 345
Coatham , prospect from
254
, sea parties to 255
Cockridge, - - 188
Conisborough, 210 — a
feast at - - 211
Coniston Cold - 110
Cozden-haU - 342, 343
Cottages of the West
West Riding, 66~the
North Riding, 78 —
the East Riding - 90
Cottingham - 284
Castle 284
Coverham, or Corham 309
CoutherbyScar,a range
of rock's - - 337
Crackpot-hall, sublime
situation of - 338
Craven, district of - 110
Cuitto, Mr., of Rich-
mond - - 338
Curiosities, natural 104
Curiosity, a singular 308
Cusworth-hall - 211
Danby-lodge - 294
Darton - - 135
Dearne and Dove Canal 65
Derwent, the - 76, 87
Devil's arrows, the 204
INDEX
PAGE
Distances from town to
town in the West
Riding, 5 — in the
North and East Rid-
ings - - "7
Doncaster, 208 —fine en-
trance to, 209 — prin-
cipal buildings, ib* —
church, theatre,il). —
race-ground, 210 —
markets, ib. — seats
near - - 210
Don, or Dune, the - 63
Driffield, Great - 324
Little - 325
Dropping or petrifying
well at Knaresbo-
rough - 172, J 73
Drunken Barnaby 105
Duncombe-park 303
Dunesley • - 299
Ealand chapel - 132
Easingwold - 248
EastRiding, general de-
scription of - 86
topogra-
phical description of 248
Ebberston - - 321
Eggleston-hall - 261
Egton - - 294
Ellerton - - 276
Ellshaw, or Ailccy-hill,
a remarkable tumu-
lus - - 163
Embsay, 118 — Priory
of - - 121, 122
Encampment, an ellip-
tical - - 110
Enclosures in the West
Riding, 67— in the
North Riding, 79 —
in the East Riding 89
Eskdale chapel - 299
PAGE
Eugene Aram - 174
Event, a melancholy
296, 297
Everingham, Saxon font
at _ - - 277
Fairs in the West Rid-
ing, 9— in the North
and East Ridings 13
Farm-houses i n the West
Riding, 66 — in the
North Riding, 77 —
in the East Riding 90
Farms, rent and size of 67
Feetham - - 341
Fences in the North
Riding, 79 — in the
East Riding
Ferrybridge
Filey
Flamboroiigli
Head
89
208
322
320
321
322
247
Flixton
Forest of Galtres
Forest of Knaresbo-
rough
Forests of Swale and
Wenslcy-dale 339, 340
Fors Abbey^ ruins of 258
Fountain's Abbey
164, 165,
hall
Freed-Stooie, the
Fremington
Fremington Edge -
Fulneck, 190— Moravi-
ans at - -
Galtres, Forest of
Gaper-Gill
Gargrave
Gawthorp-hall
Giggleswick, 1 05 ~ En-
virons of
Gilling
H h 3
176
167
168
282
343
342
191
247
101
110
14G
lOG
264
INDEX.
PAGE
Gilling, ancient tastle at 306
Ginglepot - - 97
Gisburn, 143— Park 144
Gledstone-house, a mag-
nificent structure 145
Godsbridge - 308
Gordale - - 109
Greet stone, what so
called - - 99
Greg-roof - - 96
Greta-bridge - 308
Greysbrooke, village of 140
Grinton - 342, 343
Grouse, description of 346
Grouse shooting - 346
Guisborough 253, 254
Gunner side - 340
Hackfall - - 310
Halifax, 125— market,
ib. — church, 126—
trade, 127, 128— gib-
bet-lawof 129,130
HalpitandHuntpit holes 104
Hardrow force - 256
Harewood, 146— house 147
Harker - - 342
Harrowgate, 1 76 — cha-
lybeate spa at, ib. —
Tewit and sulphur
wells, ib. — virtues of
the waters at, 177 —
theatre at — analysis
of the waters, 178 —
rise of, ib. — walks
and rides - - 179
Hatfield, 214— chace 215
Hatfield-hall - 307
Haworth - - 213
Headon - - 326
Heath, village of 196
Helagh - - 149
Hellifield mansion 1 10
Helmsley Blackmoor 302
PAGE
Hemingsborough 312, 318
Hermitage, an ancient 1 49
High Hill, Roman en-
campment at 107
History, ancient, of the
county - 57, 60
Hoggart Leap - - 337
Holme Monastery 279
Horn of Ulphus - - 235
Hornby Castle - - 309
Hornsea, 328 — Mere 329
Horses - - - - 83
Hovingham - - - 306
House of John a Gaunt 341
Howden - - - - 311
Huddersfieldjl 33 — canal
at, 65, 133— church,
133— large hall, 134
— cloth -market, ex-
tensive, 134 — a thriv-
ing town, 192 — steam-
boats - 192
Hull, 285 — Custom-
house, ib. — bridge, ib.
— citadel and battery,
286 — steam-boats, ib.
— church,ib. — chapel,
ib. — charitable insti-
tutions,287 — Trinity-
house, ib. — commerce
and population, 288 —
government, ib. — en-
virons - 288
Hunmanby - - - 321
Hurders, the - - 1C3
Hurtlepot . . 97
Implements used in the
West Riding - - 70
used in the
North Riding - 79
used in the
East Riding - - 92
Ingleborough, ascent to 102
INDEX.
PAGE
Ingleborough, necessity
of a guide to strangers
ascending, 102 — Dr.
Gale's supposition con-
cerning the Beacon
on, 103 — curiosities in
the neighbourhood of,
104 — elevation of,
and other celebrated
mountains in its neigh-
bourhood - - - 104
Ingleton - - - - 95
Inscription upon the
obelisk at Wold New-
ton - - - - 346
Ilkley, a bathing- place 145
Johnson's Jacket-hole 101
Isarium Brigantum - 204
Isurium, city of 332, 333
British name of 334
Itinerary of the West
Riding - - - 17
of the North
and East Ridings - 42
Jenkins, Henry - - 259
Jervoix Abbey - - 309
Keighley - - - - 123
Kildwick - - - - 123
Kilham - - - 322
King, Mr., the anti-
quary on sky-fallen
stones - - - - 348
Kingsdale, Valley of 96
Kirkby Moor-side - 300
Kirkdale-church, 301
— ancient inscription
at - - - - 302
Kirkham - - - 275
Kirkleatham - - - 255
Kirk-sink - - - 111
KirkstallAbbey 186,187,1 88
Kisdon-force - - 338
PAGE
Knaresborough, 170 —
church, ib. — castle,
171 , 172 — dropping-
well at, 173— forest
of,176— St.Robert's-
chapel - - - - 173
Knottingley - - - 203
Lead-mines - 264, 344
Leases and tenures in
the West Riding, 67
— in the North Rid-
ing, 78 — ui the East
Riding - . - 91
Leckonfield - - - 284
Learned men and lite-
rature . . - 56
Leeds and Liverpool
Canal - - - 64
Leeds, 179 — fine streets
in, 180— Moot-hall,
ib. — market - place,
ib. — improvements,
churches, meeting-
houses, 162 -^ infir-
mary and almshouses,
182 — water- works,
ib. — theatre, 184 —
cloth-halls, 184, 185,
186 — shambles, ib.
— population, ib. —
new prison and va-
grant-office, 186 —
new buildings at, ib.
— steam- works - 186
Lestinghara - - - 302
Local produce of the
West Riding - - 70
Long Preston - - 109
Malham Cove - - 107
Tarn - - 108
Malham-water - - 108
Market-Weighton - 278
INDEX.
PAGE
Marrick Abbey - 343
Marske-hall - - - 345
Marsham - - - 309
Mercury, a figure of
264, 335
Meteoric-stonCjmanner
of its falling, 348—
falling of a, first ob-
served by Gassendi 349
Meteoric - stones not
composed of the
same ingredients as
those in our globe,
350 — various conjec-
tures on their origin 350
Middleham - - - 309
Midsummer Eve, sin-
gular custom on - 163
Millgill Force - - 256
Mijlingtou - - - 277
Mill-stones, ancient 258
Minerals in the West
Riding, 71 — in the
North Riding, 84 —
in the East Riding 93
Mulgrave Castle - 298
Muker - - 338, 339
Newby Hall - - 168
New Malton - - 274
Nevi'spapers in the
county - - 57
Newton House - - 294
Nidd, the - - 63
North Allerton - 250
North Riding, general
description of - 74
■ topogra- .
pliical description of 248
Northumberland, Earls
of, their splendour
o 315,316
Northumbrian Kings,
villa of the - - 205
PAGE
Nunkeeling - - 330
Oar of lignum vitae - 288
Olicana - - 145
Origin of the guillotine
at Halifax - - 129
Otley - - - 145
Ouse, the - 62, 75
source of the - 204
Paley, Sub-dean, in-
scription to - - 105
Parlington - - 205
Patrington - - 327
Pennygant, 103 — mea-
surement of - - 104
Pickering - - 299
Percies, burial-place of
the - - - 142
Pierce Bridge - - 265
Pocklington - - 276
Plumpton - - 175
Pontefract, 206 — castle,
207 — environs of, 208
monument near - ib.
Population of the county 57
of the West
Riding - - 66
of the East
Riding - - 87
■ ancient - 254
Produce, local - - 70
Quarter sessions - 55
Quarries of marble and
slate - - 96, 99
Queen Cartismandua 331
Raven Ree - - 96
Ravensworth - - 264
Redcar and Coatham 254
Reeth - - 341, 342
Rent and size of farms
in the West Riding,
67 — in theNorthRid-
Riding
90
INDEX.
PAGE
Ribstone-hall - - 175
Richmond, 261--Castle 262
Ripley - - lG9j 175
Ripon, 151 — public
buildings at, 152 —
manufactures, ib. —
government of, 153
— destroyed by the
Scots, 154 — ancient
church of, }55, 160
— the present minster
at, 156 — library, 158
— monuments, 159 —
hospitals at, IGl -^
canal at, ib. — court-
house and prison, 162
— ancient custom at,
163 — tumulus re-
markable - - 163
Rise, the seat of Mrs.
Bethel - - 329
Rivaulx Abbey 303, 304
Rivers in the West Rid-
ing, 62— in the North
Riding, 75 — in the
East Riding - - 87
Roads of the West Rid-
ing, €2— of the North
Riding, 77 — of the
East Riding - - 89
Robert de Bruss - 255
Roche-abbey stone - 214
Rock-house, the, at
Knaresborough - 174
Rockingham, monu-
ment to CharIes,Mar-
quis of - - - 137
■ character
of, by Edmund Burke 138
Rokeby-hall - - 808
Roman antiquities and
coins - - 333, 340
Roman coins found at
Craven-bank 106,124,132
PAGE
Roman Denarii » 124
encampments 107
roads - 277, 279
■ pavements and
temple - - - 279
villa - - 111
Romill^, fate of young 122
Rotherham - HO, 141
Rotheram, Independent
Academy at - - 141
Rudston - 323, 324
Sallay or Sawley - - 142
Saint Robert's Chapel 173
- Cave- 174
214
196
ib.
Sandbeck Park -
Sandal Castle
Church -
Scarborough, 265 — new-
pier at, ib. — mineral
waters, 266 — wells, ib.
— church, 267 — cas-
tle, 2G8— trade of, ib.
— accident, singular,
at, 269 — proverb of a
Scarborough warning,
271 — sea-bathing at,
ib. — pier comojodi-
ous, ib.— spa, 272, 273
— purgative well, ib.
— lodgings and libra-
ries, 273— fishing &fa-
shionable promenades,
near * - - 274
Scene, beautiful - - 257
Scenery, romantic - 336
Scrooby - - - - 212
Sculcoates - - - 288
Seals, sagacity of - - 255
Seaton inn, - - ib.
Selby - - - - 216
Selby church - - - 218
Settle 107
Sheep inthe West Rid-
ing C9
INDEX.
82
PACE
Sheep in the North Rid-
ing
Sheffield,! 96— corpora-
tion, 197 — churches,
1 98 — meeting houses,
199 — charity schools,
ib. — free grammar
school, 200 — a staple
for iron manufac-
tures, 200,201— cut-
lery, 202 — spade hus-
bandry near, intro-
duced - - -
Shirburne . - -
Shunner Fell - - -
Situation, boundaries,
and extent of the
county - - - - 57
of tlie West Riding 63
Name and ancient history 57
Situation, boundaries,
and extent of the
North Riding -
of the East Riding
Skelldale - - -
Skelton Castle - -
Skipton, 112 — castle at,
114— school, 117—
vale of -
Skipsey - - - -
Skirlaw - - - -
Sleights, seats at -
203
205
339
74
86
168
255
118
331
330
293
Snaith 216
Snake stones - - - 295
SpofFord - - • - 175
Spoutgill Beck - - 340
Spring, a mineral - 323
Spurn Head, the - 327
Sowerby, Mr,, on
British mineralogy 374
Stainforth and Headley
Canal - - - 65
Stainmore - - 340
Stanford Bridge - - 276
PAGE
Steam-engines - - 190
SteddalBeck - - 336
Stockesley - - 252
Stone, fall of a burning 349
Strid, the tremendous
121, 122
Studley Royal - - - 164
St.Wilfrid, Feast of - 163
Sunk Island - - - 327
Swaledale,Valeof 261,336
Swale Hall - - - 343
Swale river, 260 ; held
sacred by the Saxons 261
Swinkey - - - - 328
Tadcaster - - 149
Tanfield, 309 —Castle 310
West - - 310
Tankerley-hall - 136
Temple Newsome - 190
Tenures - - 78, 91
Thirsk - - 249
Thorne - - 215
Thornton Force - 95
Thornton-on-the-street 250
Thornton Scar, a tremen-
dous cliff - - 95
Thorp Arch, mineral
spring at - - 148
Thwaite - - 338
Tuckhill - - - 213
Tillotson, Dr. John - 132
Tithes in the North Rid-
ing - - - 79
East Riding 91
Titles conferred by the
county - -55
Topham, Major - 347
Tower, St. Wilfrid's 156
Towns in the West Rid-
ing ... 3
North and
East Ridings - 4
Towton, 149 — battle of
150, 151
NDEX,
PAGE
Turner, Sir Charles, seat
of, 255 — Turner's hos-
pital - - - ib.
Vagrant office, benefits
of a, at Leeds - 186
Vale of Skipton - 118
ViJiiers Duke of Buck-
ingham, death of - 3()0
Urbes Calurium - - 253
Ure, the - - - 75
Waddesgrave - - 29S
Wakefielid, 191-church
at, ib — Grammar
School at, 193— cha-
ritable donations, 1 94
— House of Correc-
tion, ib. — ancient
bridge at, 194, 195
— Now Court-house
and Inn - - 196
Was$and,a pleasant ru-
ral spot - - 399
Wastes - 68 y 70, 93
intheWestRid-
ing - 68, 70
— — — in the East Rid-
ing - 93
Weathercote Cave 97, 98
Weights and Measures
in the North Riding 84
Weights and Measures
in the East Riding 94
Well, an ebbing and
flowing - - 104
Wensley-dale 260, 345
Wentworth Castle 136
Wentworth House, the
seat of Earl Fitzwil-
liam - 137, 139
West Britton - 135
West Marton Hail 144
West Riding, general
description of 61
PAGI,
West Riding, topogra-
phical description of 95
Wetherby - 204
Wharfe, the - 53
scenery on the
121, 122, 147
' ■ cascade formed
by the - 204
Wharnside, 103 — pros-
pects from - 103
Whitby 289 — public
buildings, 290 — re-
mains of the Abbey
at, lb.— streets and
lanes improved, 291,
294— interesting view
of, 292 — shops and
markets, ib. — inns at,
ib.— courts and places
of worship, ib. — New
Quay, ib. — popula-
tion, 293— benevo-
lent institutions, ib.
— theatre and bota-
nical garden, ib. —
rocks near, 295 —
coasting trade, 296
— melancholy acci-
dent at -. — 296
Whitfields Force - 256
Whitkirk Church, mo-
numents in - - 190
Whitsondale - 337
Wilberfoss - > 276
Wilfrid St., the Feast of 163
Winterwell Hall - 118
Wold Newton, 345 —
extraordinary phe-
nomena of nature
at - . , 346
Wood Hall - - 191
Worsborough = .136
Wreasle Caatle 312, 314
INDEX.
PACK
Varum, or Yarm • 252
Yordas Cave - 96
York, 219 — principal
gateSyib. — districts or
wards of, 220 — im-
provements, ib. — cas-
tle and county hall, ib.
— Clifford's Tower at,
221— Cathedral, ib.—
interior of, 222 —
tombs, ancient, 224 —
service, 22.5 — pave-
ment of the Cathe-
dral at,^ 22G, 227—
chapels in the Cathe-
dral, 228 — dimensions
of the, ib. — parish
churches, 229— Ab-
bey of St. Mary, ib. —
PAGE
Chapter -house, 230,
—231 — Library, 233
Vestry - room, 234 —
Treasury, ib. — Arch-
bishop's Palace, 237 —
Mansion-house, 238
— County Hall, ib. —
CityGaol, 239 —Thea-
tre, 240 — Assembly-
rooms, ib. — County
Hospital, 241 — Luna-
tic Asylum, ib. — cha-
ritable institutions and
hospitals, 243 — places
of worship, 244 — race-
ground, 245 — manu-
factories and markets,
246 — municipal go-
vernment of - 247
DIRECTIONS
FOR PLACING THE PLATES.
York, view of, from theOuse-bririge, to face page 219
Harevvood House 147
Bvland Abbev 247
Tanfield, West 310
Droppiiii: Well at Knaresborou<j;h 172
R.ichnion'd Castle - 263
Ripon Minster 1<^5
Ilatfield-hall 307
Map (){ the West Riding CI
Map of the North Riding 74
3Iap of the East Riding • • • ■ • 86
This book is DUE on the last
date stamped below
JXAY 2 3 1953
2m-9,'46(A394)470
'1S!| 111 llli II'' IP' 'ill r!0
3 1158 00567 6043
/; ■ \
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11